Burkina Faso: When Resource Competition Leads to Cooperation

Feb 13, 2025 | O'Hara Shipe, Arizona State University
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The United Nations has estimated that in the past 60 years, more than 40% of all internal armed conflicts have a link to competition over natural resources. Climate change, population growth and increased consumption are expected to exacerbate future conflicts. However, a new paper by Elisabeth Kago Ilboudo Nébié, an assistant professor with the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University, argues that resource competition can lead to cooperation rather than conflict.