As we begin a New Year and a new decade, people across the world have begun or unfortunately already ended their New Year’s resolution Whether it is losing weight, saving money or finishing up that degree that you postponed, many enter each New Year with aspirations of improving their personal lives

The fact in order to deliver the same institutional function it does not require a particular institutional form Likewise a particular institutional form can deliver very different functions in different country contexts

Global demand and prices for oil, gas and minerals have increased dramatically in recent years, not least driven by the economic successes of a number of emerging economies These developments could provide an opportunity for mineral-rich countries to push economic and social development

Why institutions matter to achieving economic and social development is certainly not a question that has arisen only in the context of mineral-rich countries Social scientists have long pointed to institutions as well as institutional change to explain economic and social transformations

Some observers have challenged this negative policy outlook by pointing to mineral-rich countries that have performed relatively well Commonly singled out are Botswana, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and mineral-rich OECD countries

To explain institutional change institutions need to be conceptualized as a dependent rather than an independent variable The social science literature on institutional change is too large to be dealt with comprehensively

Nigeria is a country that dominates the West African region due to its large population (125 million) and the importance of its mineral and oil resources (the sixth largest oil producer in the world) Political instability, poverty and endemic corruption force many native people to leave their places of origin to the European Union countries in search of a better life

Poor countries are a source of production or transportation of illegal goods or as transit points for trafficking, while developed countries offer clear opportunities for the sale and acquisition These countries have more interest for criminal groups as a base for their activities, namely: a) In the European Union, Ireland - UK - Germany - Netherlands - Belgium - Italy - Spain b) In Latin America and the Caribbean-Netherlands Antilles - Venezuela - Peru - Ecuador -Brazil c) In Asia - Afghanistan - Pakistan - Thailand d) In the Middle East, Lebanon - Dubai - Bahrain West African criminal networks operate with great ease and flexibility

Each year tens of thousands of people from West African countries are transported by road to North Africa, mainly Morocco, from where they to Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar, whether hidden in trucks, which make the journey aboard ferries, or rafts In some cases there is also the smuggling of illegal immigrants by sea directly to France and Italy from North African countries

Usually the study is directed toward the criminal aspects of terrorism, which are present in all areas, and into the criminal aspects of illegal immigration Clearly, migration (regular or not) and criminal activity that may fall under illegal immigration, have a general and wider dimensions than the pure criminal dimension of terrorism