I would be interested in this topic as well. Seems as though that while the country is resource rich, and certainly has great potential to industrialize, it has been essentially reliant on either cash crops or extractive industries. By way of example, and in terms of oil and gas reserves, Colombia is to Venezuela, as Oklahoma is to Texas. While I would think this would have much to do with the lengthy history of civil wars, and caudillos of varying shades of the spectrum over the years, I would be very interested to read what the field-experts on the sub have to say.