This paper examines the relationships between natural resource dependence, public education investment, and human capital accumulation. It addresses why the "blessing" of abundant natural resources often turns into a "curse" in many countries and regions, focusing on the crowding-out effect of natural resources on human capital. According to our empirical analysis of provincial panel data from China, natural resource dependence is significantly and negatively correlated with human capital accumulation. The crowding-out effect of natural resources on human capital exists only in the central and western regions of China. Our introduction of an interaction term for natural resource dependence and public education investment underscores the possibility of investing in public education to reduce the crowding-out effect of natural resource dependence on human capital. The government should utilize the income of the natural resource sector to increase investment in education to enhance local human capital.
Keywords: Human capital accumulation; Natural resource dependence; Public education investment; Resource curse.