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Torvik said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia?

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people?

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Major natural resources aren't necessarily a national curse.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

A recent survey of the 10 most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit is dominated by cities in Canada and Australia - nations that both have booming commodities exports.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

While sub-Saharan countries like Nigeria and Congo have had moribund economic growth despite resource riches, diamond-rich Botswana is the fastest growing economy in Africa.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"Here in Norway we are one of the largest oil and gas exporters in the world; I can observe that in Nigeria oil has been bad, but in Norway it is good," Torvik said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

A key difference between nations that do well with natural resources and those that are "cursed" depends on the strength of government institutions before nations strike underground wealth, economists say.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Botswana is one of the few sub-Saharan nations with a parliamentary system of government.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Norway had 200 years of democracy before its off-shore oil industry took off in the 1970s.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Instead of giving direct payments to citizens, Norway has plowed all its oil revenues into a public fund for use in education or other public works.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"We use 4% of the fund every year, the ambition is you don't eat the principal but live off the interest," Torvik said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Mongolia grapples with 'curse' On the steppes of Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan has released a horde of coal and copper in recent years, causing an economic explosion in this landlocked nation in Central Asia.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

But worries are rising with its national coffers, Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"We talk a lot these days, and especially the last couple years, about the resource curse," Batbold told CNN.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"We have seen the Norwegian experience of sharing the benefit with the people.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

We have seen the Chilean stability fund, we have seen Canadian and Alaskan model," Batbold said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"We should not reinvent the wheel, we should better learn and copy from good successes."

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

For example, Mongolia is using mining revenues to finance child cash benefits.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Each Mongolian citizen will receive 536 shares from the privatization of the Tavan Tolgoi coal mine in southern Mongolia.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"Hopefully, the people will appreciate that they are responsible for an investment in their own future and that they will learn how to treat those shares and use them for benefit for themselves and their children in the future, rather than just selling them," said Bill Gorman, president of the Mongolian Stock Exchange.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Yet the challenges are stark for Mongolia, which has only has 20 years of democracy.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

The nation ranks 116th out of 187 nations in the 2010 Transparency International corruption perceptions.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

One-third of Mongolia's 2.8 million people live below the poverty line.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Corruption "is an enormous problem, but one of things we're hoping to do with our partnership with the London Stock Exchange is to make certain the listed companies have proper transparency and management," said Gorman of the Mongolian Stock Exchange.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Are taxes the solution?

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Giving direct payments to Libyans, Subramanian and Moss argue, is a way for a new government in Tripoli to foster closer economic ties with its citizens - through taxes.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Taxes create an incentive for the government to make broad improvements across the economy to increase government revenues.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

And, as the Tea Party phenomenon in the U.S. shows, taxes create a populace that is deeply interested in how government spends its cash.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"They are going to watch the government like a hawk," Moss said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"If one year people get a $500 check (from oil revenues) and the next year they get $400, they're going to wonder why."

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"People think (an oil find) is Manna from heaven, so you don't need to tax," Subramanian says.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"But that severs that two-way relationship between the governed and those who are governed."

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Two practical problems to giving away oil cash: Convincing leaders it's in their best interests, and the modalities of getting that cash to citizens.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"The latter is actually the easiest ... there's been a lot of advances in biometrics, such as iris scanning and fingerprinting, along with e-banking through cell phones," Moss said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Trying to talk leaders in resource-rich countries to give it away, however, is another matter.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Both Moss and Subramanian have approached leaders in Ghana and Nigeria, respectively, to distribute it - both were rebuffed.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Still, a new government in Libya could have a unique "constitutional moment" to allow its oil profits to flow directly to the populace, Subramanian said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

"Libya is a country that has had virtually no political development for nearly 50 years," he said.

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

Adds Moss: "When you have a moment of transition, there's a lot of uncertainty - that's a moment you can lock into a certain kind of path you may not find for another generation."

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

CNN's Anna Coren contributed to this report .

In the aftermath of the 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi, the world is left wondering whether the bloodiest conflict in the popular unrest that has swept the Arab World will signal the rise of democracy in Libya or a descent into chaos. A group of economists is proposing one solution to help a strong Libya emerge from the smoldering ruins of civil war: Give all Libyans direct annual payments from oil revenue. Call it the 'Alaska solution.' "In 1982 then-governor Jay Hammond of Alaska said, 'Look, there is no check or balance on our use (of state oil revenue)," said Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Hammond started a program to give residents annual checks from the state's petroleum fund. "That held Hammond and all his successors into account." Libya is a textbook example, Moss said, of what is known as the "resource curse" - countries whose economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports. It's sometimes known as "the paradox of plenty" - rather than create an economic boom, export cash from resource-rich nations often flows directly to corrupt leaders while most the population doesn't share in the wealth. How to handle a sudden burst in commodity wealth is an issue that echoes around the globe, from the huge copper and coal mines plumbed in Mongolia, to the offshore gas fields in Ghana and vast tracts of lithium deposits in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. "Of course you have corruption, but I think the key thing about understanding how the resource curse works is it impedes economic and political development," said Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington. Resource curse in the Arab World . Research shows the more a nation's economy is dependent on export of natural resources, the less that nation's economy is likely to grow, says Ragnar Torvik, an economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. "But it's a chicken and the egg question- is it natural resources that cause this low growth, or some bad economic and political conditions as a result of just specializing in natural resources?" Torvik said. The unrest in the Arab world demonstrates the resource curse at play. "Why was the population (of Libya) not able to get rid of Gadhafi by their own, as they did in Egypt and Tunisia? One likely part of the answer is that the oil revenues in Libya is much more important than in Tunisia and Egypt, which gives the ruler a much wider menu of political choices to fight the democratic demands from the population," Torvik said. "And why was the response in Saudi Arabia to hand out large sums of cash to the people? Presumably this was not because suddenly that they cared more about the people - the more likely answer is that this was a move to maintain political power and avoid demands for democracy," Torvik said. "So I think indeed the varieties of experience in the Middle East in the last months have much to do with oil revenues."

'Resource curse' hits economies depend on oil, gas or other natural resource exports . 'Paradox of plenty' can prop up weak or corrupt leaders at expense of economic growth . Some economists believe countries like Libya could reform through sharing oil wealth . Many countries, such as Botswana and Norway, have avoided the 'resource curse'

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Scroll down for video .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Probe:

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Police have said they believe the .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

She .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

He .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

‘The . police joked that at that rate he's not even making minimum wage.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

He .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

must have been hungry.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

I left the shop at 9pm and came back at 7am the .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

next morning to find that we had been broken into.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

‘They .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

didn't get anything because there is not really anything to take.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

They .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

smashed the glass at the front, but none of the neighbours heard.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

I just .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

can't get over how brazen they were about it.’

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

South .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Wales Police said that there had been a number of break-ins in the .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

whole of the Fairwater area of Cardiff, which includes Whitchurch and .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Rhiwbina, in recent weeks.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Hungry: The thief stole a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips from the deli in Cardiff .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Investigation: South Wales Police said that there had been a number of break-ins in the Fairwater area .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Reaction: Owner Bev Davidson said they 'didn't get anything because there is not really anything to take' His favourite flavour?

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

The burglar took a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips (file picture)

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

A spokesman said: ‘There have been a number of commercial burglaries in the Fairwater area of Cardiff recently.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Each burglary is being thoroughly investigated and we have increased patrols in order to trace those responsible. '

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

He tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

The police joked that at that rate he's not even making minimum wage' Bev Davidson, Deli A Go Go owner .

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

‘I would like to remind residents and business owners of steps they can take to ensure windows and doors are kept secure as this will remove the opportunity for any burglar.’

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

Deli worker Nick Robinson said: ‘The shop is alarmed and the cash tills are alarmed, so they tried but there was no way of getting into it. '

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

There was a bit of damage where it looks like he might have fallen over. '

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

But apart from that and the packet of green Kettle Chips not much else was taken.

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .

There was only one person caught on film, but because of the other break-ins it makes you wonder if they were working alone.'

This is the bizarre moment a hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into a deli using a crow bar before stealing a single bag of crisps. CCTV footage shows the man breaking the door of the deli before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff, to take a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips. And the thief is even forced to run back to the store after realising he has left behind his crow bar. Scroll down for video . Entrance: A hungry thief was captured on camera breaking into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff using a crow bar . Probe: Police have said they believe the break in to Bev Davidson's shop is linked to a further eight crimes . Police have said they believe the . break-in to Bev Davidson’s shop is linked to a further eight crimes in . the area that took place in the early hours of last Friday. She . said: ‘When the police saw the footage they couldn't believe it. He . tried for an hour to get in, spent three minutes in the shop, presumably . looking for cash and only left with one packet of crisps.

Burglar breaks door before creeping into Deli A Go Go in Cardiff . He only steals a packet of sour cream and sweet onion Kettle Chips . Thief then runs back to store after realising he's left behind crow bar .