Innovation-spurred growth in oil and gas production from shale formations led the U.S. to become the global leader in producing oil and natural gas. Because most shale is on private lands, drilling companies must access the resource through private lease contracts that provide a share of the...

The recent oil and gas production boom in the contiguous United States generated tens of billions in additional royalty income for owners of oil and gas rights. We use the royalty income shock to study the local multiplier effect of unanticipated income and find that each royalty dollar received...

Extraction of oil and gas from unconventional resources, recently enabled by technological innovations, revolutionized national and global markets. However, exploration and production still proceeds under legacy regulations, mostly promulgated at the state level. The mismatch of modern...

Widespread ownership of oil and natural gas resources by private individuals, which is unique to the United States, entitles those citizens to a share of the proceeds from production. This share is typically specified as a royalty rate in leases with producers that is based on gross revenues...