Dr Elissaios Papyrakis is a Senior Lecturer in Development Economics (Macroeconomics) at the Institute of Social Studies of the Erasmus University in the Netherlands. Much of his research has focused on the long-term economic growth processes of developing economies, in particular with reference to those exporting mineral resources. He has extensive research experience in several fields related to globalisation and international development; for example on the links between trade openness and gender inequality, Dutch Disease effects of natural resource discoveries, international climate finance, colonization and historical development of institutions and the development effects of differences in population composition (ethnic/religious fractionalisation and polarisation). In 2007 he received the best award for doctoral research from the Dutch Research School for Socio-Economics and Natural Sciences of the Environment (SENSE).