David studies how countries get value from their oil, gas and minerals, principally through the taxation of companies, but also through state-owned enterprises and other policies. He helped produce the Natural Resource Charter, the Benchmarking Framework, the Resource Governance Index and an Executive Course at Oxford University—four tools that together enable government officials and oversight actors to make better, more holistic policy decisions. His latest research interests focus on the long-term sustainability of resource-rich societies and the impact of renewables on fossil fuels.

Prior to NRGI, David was an Overseas Development Institute Fellow and senior economist in the Zambia Revenue Authority focused on mining tax policy and administration. He also worked for Oxford Economic Research Associates on financial regulation and utility finance. David holds an M.Sc. in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.