Theoretical and Applied Economics
No. 3 / 2025 (644), Autumn
Natural resources and the price of freedom. A concise analysis of Ukraine’s natural resources and who wins more from their direct exploitation?
Bodislav & Associates, Romania
Dumitru Alexandru BODISLAV
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania
Abstract. This article investigates the intricate relationship between natural resources and national freedom, focusing on Ukraine as a resource-rich yet geopolitically vulnerable state. It analyses the economic, political, environmental, and strategic dimensions of resource management and their implications for sovereignty, sustainability, and international security. Ukraine’s reserves of iron ore, titanium, uranium, coal, and fertile agricultural land are assessed in terms of economic viability, environmental risks, and their role in global supply chains. The study further explores how Russia, the European Union, and the United States benefit differently from Ukraine’s natural resources in the context of ongoing conflict, sanctions, and shifting alliances. While Ukraine possesses immense potential to become a key agricultural and mineral exporter and an energy-independent nation, political instability, war, and governance deficiencies have limited its capacity to capitalize on these advantages. The paper concludes that sustainable management, institutional reform, and integration into European and global markets are essential for Ukraine to transform its resource endowment into long-term freedom and prosperity.
Contents
Development and implementation of an Activity-Based Costing (ABC) model in private Higher Education Institutions (HEI)
Capital, coal, and change: modelling India's energy substitutability with a translog production framework
Unemployment in Ghana: analyzing the asymmetric effects of export processing zones in dealing with the problem
A PRISMA-based systematic literature review on the mismatches between the Romanian higher education system and the labor market needs
Transition effect from deposit and policy interest rates to credit interest rates in Türkiye: detecting asymmetry
The effect of fiscal decentralization and monetary policy on economic resilience in Indonesia: a panel data
The implications of demographic changes on economic performance – a comparative analysis of RO vs EU 27
Pensions under pressure: economic and demographic drivers of Romania’s public retirement system
Productivity shocks, exchange rate and migration: a new open economy macroeconomics approach
Energy vulnerabilities among Europeans in the Ukrainian war context
Empirical analysis of the relationship between FDI and economic growth in Morocco
Climate-driven monetary policy: a new Keynesian DSGE analysis for Ghana
Monitoring the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Romania
Insurance and sustainable structural transformation: Does renewable energy matter?
Natural resources and the price of freedom. A concise analysis of Ukraine’s natural resources and who wins more from their direct exploitation?
Assessing the macroeconomic impact of fiscal deficit in India: evidence from ARDL approach
Non-linearity and market behavior in the Romanian capital market: a rescaled range analysis of BET index
From adversity to triumph: Türkiye's economic resilience and adaptation strategies amidst disasters
Trust at first reply and how AI-language systems alter human trust calibration
The economic value of data. From data to decisions in the public sector