October 2015 News and Analysis from NRGI
Highlights
NRGI at the Open Government Partnerships 2015 Global Summit
Several NRGI team members from around the world are in Mexico City, engaged in dialogue at the OGP summit, which wraps today. Staff have launched new data resources and advocated for a reversal of the shrinking of civic space in resource-rich countries.
Picturing Poor Extractives Governance in Myanmar
NRGI has partnered with six talented photographers to capture the complex political, environmental and social realities at coal, copper, gas, gold, jade and oil extraction sites throughout Myanmar.
Photo by Lauren DeCicca for NRGI
IMF's Open FARI Model Release an Important First Step
The International Monetary Fund released its model for evaluating and designing oil and mining deals in resource-rich countries. It’s an important step toward bettering public scrutiny and understanding of resource deals and the flow of revenues.
Reversing the Resource Curse: Apply Now for Budapest Course
NRGI and the School of Public Policy at Central European University are accepting applications for the advanced course Reversing the Resource Curse: Theory and Practice, open to exceptional leaders from government, civil society, parliaments, media, international development agencies, and industry associations as well as academics, researchers and analysts from universities and think tanks. Scholarships covering travel, accommodation and full tuition costs are available for some applicants from select countries. The application deadline is 27 November.
Statement on Unacceptable Battery of Ilgar Mammadov in Azerbaijan
NRGI strongly condemns the severe beating of NRGI advisory council board member Ilgar Mammadov in an Azerbaijan prison on 16 October 2015.
Spotlight on Data
New Set of WGIs Give Impetus to Seize the Governance Moment
The World Bank has released a new edition of the Worldwide Governance Indicators, which combine the views of a large number of enterprise, citizen and expert survey respondents in industrial and developing countries.
Blog
Did the UK Miss Out on £400 Billion Worth of Oil Revenue?
The UK and Norway oil and gas sectors provide an ideal scenario through which to compare the outcomes from different approaches to extractives governance. Why has the Norwegian approach to oil governance generated so much more revenue?
Corruption in Chile and Latin America: Pending Concerns
At an event in Santiago, Chile, NRGI president and CEO Daniel Kaufmann described the similarities and differences of cases of corruption in the region. Kaufmann also discussed corruption in a Spanish-language interview with Radio Zero, accessible here.
Uganda's Oil Revenue Management Framework is a Solid Start, but Not Nearly Enough
Earlier this year, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed the Public Finance Management Act 2015 into law and created one of the world's newest sovereign wealth funds. While the law provides a solid framework for effective governance, several key elements are missing.
Microsurvey: For Investors, Open, Competitive Licensing Most Important Governance Issue
Disclosures of licensing rules and procedures were deemed the most critical transparency issue, according to a recent microsurvey. All extractive company respondents said more disclosures would increase likelihood of investment. Fifty-seven percent of advisory firm respondents indicated that non-transparent licensing greatly increases risk.
NRGI at the World Bank Group and IMF Annual Meetings
Kaufmann joined World Bank and IMF executives and other experts on stage in Lima, Peru, in early October to discuss "Individual Integrity and Public Sector Governance." The discourse was documented in real time on Twitter. Additionally, Kaufmann talked about his article "Corruption Matters" with the IMF in this podcast.
What an Effective SEC Rule on Oil and Mining Transparency Should Look Like
NRGI has made a submission to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in relation to the rulemaking for Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act.
Why Does Resource Governance Reform Matter in Jokowi's Economic Policy Package?
In an op-ed that originally appeared in the Jakarta Post, NRGI experts discuss three transparency measures the Indonesian government should consider in order to demystify the extractive sector and bolster ongoing reform efforts.
Video
Latin America director Carlos Monge on Al Jazeera's The Stream
In this panel discussion with other experts, Monge discusses the significance of the protests against the copper mining project Las Bambas in Peru.
NRGI in the News and Around the Web
BBC News World Service: Can Nigeria End Oil Corruption?
IMF podcast: "Corruption Matters," Good Governance Pays
Bloomberg Business: Nigeria State Oil Company Reports Loss in Transparency Report
Xinhua: About two percent of global GDP lost to corruption every year: think tank
Christian Science Monitor: Nigeria: President Buhari appoints himself to end nation's oil corruption
La Republica [Spanish]: Los sobornos mueven hasta US$ 2 billones al año, un 2% del PBI a nivel mundial
El Mercurio [Spanish]: La corrupción como inquietud mundial
El Mercurio [Spanish]: Un país puede triplicar su ingreso si ataca la corrupción
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: The Oil Curse: A Remedial Role for the Oil Industry
Executive (Lebanon): Transparency Legislated
Executive (Lebanon): Show Us the Money
Careers
NRGI is hiring. Learn more.
Resource Governance Index Recruiting Researchers and Peer Reviewers for 2016 Edition
Next year's iteration of the index will cover 79 countries. NRGI is recruiting researchers from across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America; full description of the role and a list of requirements here.