The main aim of this thesis is to project whether the five North African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisa) have the potentials to suffer from a solar energy curse. Under the... Show moreThe main aim of this thesis is to project whether the five North African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisa) have the potentials to suffer from a solar energy curse. Under the assumption that a solar energy curse will be similar to the current resource curse, the combination of the poor institutional quality and the enormous size of resource rents is selected as the cause of the resource curse. Accordingly, the most recent institutional quality of these countries and the projected solar energy rent size are used to identify the possible solar energy curse. Due to the small projected solar energy rent size, it is less likely that the five North African countries will suffer from a solar energy curse. However, it is also found that the successful establishment of the solar energy in the North African energy exporters (Algeria, Egypt, and Libya) can prolong the time for them to rely on their fossil-fuels exports, therefore, prolonging the current resource curse. Furthermore, this thesis finds that the improvement of institutional quality can help them to avoid 'curses' and, more importantly, lead them to sustainable development Show less