When Stanford University Professor Terry Lynn Karl introduced the concept of The Paradox of Plenty, she challenged a fundamental assumption: that abundant natural resources automatically lead to prosperity and stability.
Through her groundbreaking work on oil economies and petrostates, Karl demonstrated how resource wealth can also contribute to concentrated power, weakened institutions and political instability. In her research, she compared Norway with resource-rich countries across Latin America (such as Venezuela), Africa and the Middle East, raising questions that remain highly relevant today.
At Kongsberg Agenda, she invites audiences to explore the connections between energy, power and societal development in an era marked by geopolitical uncertainty, technological transformation and growing competition for strategic resources. Her recent work on Venezuela and the United States highlights how oil, geopolitics and great-power interests continue to shape international affairs in unexpected ways. What can history teach us about the future? Why do some resource-rich nations succeed while others struggle? And are there reasons for Norway, too, to be mindful of the potential downsides of resource wealth?
Karl is widely recognized as one of the leading scholars studying the relationship between natural resources, democracy and political development. Her theory of the political resource curse has influenced researchers, policymakers and international organizations around the world, and Time Magazine highlighted The Paradox of Plenty as one of the ideas that changed the way we understand the world.
This is a rare opportunity to meet the scholar who gave name to one of the most influential concepts in the study of energy, politics and societal development.
Hvordan er denne programposten koblet til teknologi?
How do energy resources shape innovation and society? A conversation about technology, natural resources, geopolitics and the choices shaping our future.
