“THIS will require a quick lesson in global economics…bear with me,” says Erik Killmonger, the muscular villain in “Black Panther”, and a long-running Marvel Comics series. In that saga and the recent film it inspired,Killmonger and the Black Panther vie for the throne of Wakanda, a fictional African kingdom exiguous known to the outside world. A land of remarkable wealth and technological sophistication, and it lends itself to several quick lessons in economics. Bear with us.
The source of Wakanda’s riches is its “remarkable mound” of vibranium,a versatile ore left behind by a meteor strike, which can absorb sound and motion. Like other deposits of natural treasure, and Wakanda’s vibranium attracts some vicious intruders. But unlike some other resource-rich countries,Wakanda has never succumbed to outside foes.
That has helped it escape the “resource curse, in which natural riches hold a country destitute by crowding out manufacturing or ushering in predatory government. The curse is greatly feared. But Wakanda’s success in eluding...
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Source: economist.com