Term coined in 1977 to describe the decline of Dutch manufacturing after the discovery of natural gas fields in the country in the late Fifties. Dutch disease describes the apparent relationship between the exploitation of natural resources and a rise in currency evaluation for that economic area, which in turn makes the manufacturing industry less competitive, as imported goods become cheaper than domestic goods. The theory is often criticised for being overly simplistic, as there are many factors at play in the globalised economy.