The theory of the rentier state started to emerge in the late 1960s, became fully formed in the 1980s, and has since undergone some adjustments. Although the central economic factor of an abundant reserve of natural resources remains the constant element around which the definition is structured, its political and economic implications have been under discussion. Reductive, automatic reflexes are no longer appropriate; if they are not already being addressed, anomalies need to be reconsidered and their context taken into account.