The impact of natural resources on intrastate violence has been increasingly analyzed in the peace and conflict literature. Surprisingly, little quantitative evidence has been gathered on the effects of the resource-ownership structure on internal violence. This paper uses a novel dataset on oil...

This paper argues that both China and the Western countries need to de-politicize China's global quest for energy security. The Western politicians need to recognize that their rhetoric in relation to China's efforts to secure energy supplies overseas has done nothing but intensify China's fear...

Oil nationalism cycle reflects the difficulties encountered by oil states, international oil companies (IOCs) and national oil companies (NOCs) in establishing order over and above the conflicts in upstream oil transaction. By drawing on transaction cost theory, this article identifies the...

Why do leaders nationalize the oil industry? In line with a general utility-maximizing theory, I argue that leaders nationalize to maximize state revenues while minimizing costs. The latter includes international retaliation and domestic political constraints. Using a novel longitudinal dataset...

China’s global quest for resources—in particular, oil and natural gas—has received unprecedented worldwide attention and scrutiny. The stakes are raised unnecessarily high mainly because of the growing politicization of Chinese energy security as a result of misconceptions and...

This staff report on Iraq’s 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights economic policies and development. Risks to the macroeconomic outlook remain high. The risks can translate into lower oil revenues, deterioration in the fiscal position, pressures to use Central Bank of Iraq reserves for...

This Selected Issues paper on Angola reports that oil production in Angola accounts for about half of GDP and about 75 percent of government revenue. The projections for the government’s fiscal position in the medium term will be crucially dependent on both the value of oil production and...

Buoyant oil prices have allowed oil-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA OPCs) to increase oil exports and fiscal revenues, providing them with resources necessary to address the pressing social needs. To preclude another boom-bust cycle, this paper advocates the definition of a fiscal...