Could Resource Rents Finance Universal Access to Infrastructure? A First Exploration of Needs and Rents

Authors

Sabine Fuss, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), Germany
Claudine Chen, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), Germany
Michael Jakob, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change and Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact Research
Annika Marxen, Technical University Berlin and Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change
Narasimha D. Rao, International Institute of Systems Analysis
Ottmar Edenhofer, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, Technical University Berlin and Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact Research

Date of This Version

1-25-2016

Abstract

It is often argued that, ethically, resource rents should accrue to all citizens. Yet in reality the rents from exploiting national resources are often concentrated in the hands of a few. If resource rents were to be taxed, on the other hand, substantial amounts of public money could be raised and used to cover the population’s infrastructure needs, such as access to electricity, water, sanitation, communication technology and roads, which all play important roles in a nation’s economic development process. Here, we examine to what extent existing resource rents could be used to provide universal access to these infrastructures.

Recommended Citation

Fuss, Sabine; Chen, Claudine; Jakob, Michael; Marxen, Annika; Rao, Narasimha D.; and Edenhofer, Ottmar, "Could Resource Rents Finance Universal Access to Infrastructure? A First Exploration of Needs and Rents" (January 25, 2016). Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers. Paper 979.
https://services.bepress.com/feem/paper979