Cash crops and State repression? : A qualitative case study on state repression and cash crops

This thesis will seek to test whether a causal relationship can be established between export dependencies on cash crops and state repression. A theory will be developed based on previous research on the topic of natural resources and state repression. Furthermore, this paper will examine whether a causal relationship exists between a dependence on the export of cash crops and state repression, while developing a hypothesis to test this relationship. Furthermore, this paper will also look closely into the legacy of colonialism and cash crops, which will serve as a basis for the theoretical arguments. However, much of the previous research has mainly focused on natural resources like oil and minerals. A research gap can therefore be observed when it comes to cash crops and state repression. Furthermore, state repression has previously been explained by the level of democracy and the presence of a potential civil war. This paper aims to take a different approach in order to test whether this new theory is applicable or not. The research question for this paper will be: “How does a country’s dependence on cash crop exports affect its willingness to engage in state repression?” The research of this paper will be conducted using qualitative methods in combination with Mill’s method of agreement. The findings of this paper indicate that support for the hypothesis could not be established.