Karin Schärer explores the question of why there are countries that, despite having abundant resources, are economically in a dire state. An analysis of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Botswana explains why these resource-rich countries develop so differently in economic terms and which macroeconomic and political factors can lead to a misallocation of resource revenues. Through a qualitative study, the author demonstrates that, in addition to politics and economics, the culture and geography of a country, as well as the influence of external forces such as neighboring countries or international companies, play an important role in the management of resources and economic development.