The Political Economy of the Kimberley Process

Investigates state responses to the Kimberley Process, an international agreement meant to reduce the trade of conflict diamonds.

Nathan Munier (Author)

9781108839709, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 3 September 2020

210 pages, 7 tables
16 x 23.5 x 2 cm, 0.45 kg

'Munier's book lifts the veil on the global diamond trade to provide a theoretically informed, and empirically rich, study that will be of interest to a broad range of readers. Through his in-depth study of compliance with Kimberley Process across five Sub-Saharan African states, Munier's work offers an innovative perspective on explaining state compliance that sheds new light on the role and influence of private actors.' Christopher K. Lamont, Tokyo International University

In the late 1990s, the issue of diamonds contributing to conflict began to receive global attention. In response, the Kimberley Process, an international agreement drawn up in 2003, was implemented to reduce the trade of conflict diamonds and provide a way to certify the global diamond trade. This study looks at the political economy of resource-wealthy states in Africa to understand responses to the Kimberley Process, asking why some African states have higher levels of compliance and co-operation than others. Using cross-country comparisons to explain differing state policies and outcomes, Nathan Munier explores whether domestic, private economic actors matter in how international agreements operate. In doing so, he asks why states that regularly ignore international agreements will use scarce resources to raise their level of compliance with the Kimberley Process. Focusing on the domestic political economy of states, in contrast to past theories of state responses to international agreements, Munier finds that economic dependence and the preferences of private actors are essential in understanding the variation of state responses to international agreements.

1. Diamonds after blood? explaining state responses to the kimberley process in Africa
2. The domestic political economy of international agreements
3. From passiveness to the presidency! the changing nature of angola's responsiveness to conflict diamond regulation
4. Diamonds, dependence and de beers: monopoly capitalism and compliance with the kimberley process in Namibia
5. The one who controls the diamond wears the crown! the politicization of the kimberley process in Zimbabwe
6. The limits of cooperation after conflict? the case of the kimberley process in Sierra Leone
7. No private companies=no compliance: the crisis of the kimberley process in the central African republic
8. Understanding the nature of the kimberley process and international agreements
Works cited
Index.

Subject Areas: Political oppression & persecution [JPVR], Political control & freedoms [JPV], Politics & government [JP], Society & social sciences [J]