Our congratulations to Nick Sprout who recently completed his MA in International Development and was awarded the 2021 John Groom Prize.
Nick shares with us some thoughts on his dissertation.
My dissertation explored the natural resource curse in Botswana. A large majority of resource-rich countries in the developing world have experienced low levels of economic growth, high levels of political violence, and less democratic regimes. Botswana, despite its high levels of mineral wealth, has withstood this trend and since independence has become one of the most prosperous, stable, and democratic countries in sub-Saharan Africa. I wanted to examine the main reasons behind Botswana’s relative success, and to explore the main ‘ingredients’ that have made the country prosperous and a major outlier in the region.
Utilizing the theoretical approach termed institutionalism, the paper argued that Botswana’s success is largely due to the country’s robust institutions and good governance, both formal and informal, which have managed the country’s resources to the benefit of both elites and the general public. Furthermore, the dissertation delves into how and why Botswana’s institutions have become vigorous and successful. The paper explores three main reasons why: 1) strong and democratic pre-colonial institutions that were largely unaltered by European colonialism, 2) capable early leaders that governed in the interest of the public, and 3) elite motivation to enforce rules and build consensus since building strong institutions served their self-interest.
Professor John Groom is the intellectual founder of the Brussels School of International Studies. In 2007 he established a prize which is to be awarded, by the Brussels Board of Examiners, to the student with the best taught postgraduate performance on a politics programme at the Brussels School of International Studies. If that student has been awarded the John Macgregor Prize, the award goes to the next best student.