Countries that earn a lot of money from oil, coal, minerals and other natural capital by no means invest it wisely. A lot of money flows away into corruption and unsustainable investments. Investing more sustainably in education, health and infrastructure would benefit not only current, but also future generations within these countries. Charan van Krevel investigated why things still often go wrong. His Ph.D. defense at Radboud University takes place on 21 December.