The mining sector accounts for a substantial share of exports and GDP in some countries, but rarely creates many direct jobs. This paper examines the mining sector using a value chain perspective, looking at both direct and indirect inputs and outputs. It finds that inputs from other sectors, in...

Resource abundance does not always bring sustained economic growth and development. Moreover, the mining sector generally provides little direct employment in the regions where extraction occurs. In an attempt to derive greater benefits from their resource endowments, and increase linkages with...

Demand for non-renewable natural resources is forecast to rise steadily over the coming decades. Underlying trends of long-term rising demand and falling supply of mineral resources will inevitably increase pressure on prices and intensify competition for scarce resources. This can create a...

Mineral resources present a formidable source of wealth but a formidable challenge to regulate in order to maximize social welfare from their extraction. Some resource-rich countries, such as Chile, have been successful in developing their economies and managing their revenue streams...

Energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies provide important opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, households fail to take up many clean energy investments that are cost-effective. This paper reviews different explanations for apparent underinvestment in energy...

As its workforce ages and major economies shift towards producing higher value-added goods and services, New Zealand will face increasing challenges to remain globally competitive and maintain high living standards. Future growth will need to come increasingly from productivity gains, and...

Reform of support for fossil fuels is often identified as a priority for a country’s fiscal consolidation efforts and for climate action to align financial flows with low-carbon pathways. Its implementation, however, remains elusive for many countries as they face seemingly irreconcilable...

Mining activities are energy-intensive and rely largely on fossil fuels to meet their energy demands. This exposes the mining sector to potential policy and regulatory risks, stemming from government efforts to shift the global economy to a low-emission development pathway, as envisaged by the...

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the “resource curse” phenomenon, i.e. the negative impact of oil abundance on long-term economic growth, for a set of oil exporting countries. It distinguishes between two potential drivers of resource courses: oil dependence and oil price...

Managing and regulating the extractive industries can pose substantial challenges to minerals-rich countries. Aiming to overcome the “resource curse”, some countries attempt to generate greater gains from their natural resources by using trade policy instruments such as export restrictions....