Myanmar’s Jade-Rich Hpakant Caught in a ‘Winner’s Curse’

Jul 13, 2020 | Joe Kumbun
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Natural resources are bestowed by the Earth and seem a blessing for human beings. However, an abundance of natural resources is not necessarily a blessing if the country cannot manage its endowments properly. In fact, they can be a curse rather than a blessing. The term “resource curse” was coined by Richard M. Auty, who investigated the puzzling phenomenon of why resource-rich countries tend to be poor.

Myanmar suffers from the resource curse. It is home to substantial natural resources ranging from significant quantities of minerals—for example, coal, jade, rubies, silver, etc.—to timber including teak and more.