Recent Articles

RWI consultant Keith Myers reflects on the challenges facing Iraq's parliament in creating a post-dictator oil power structure.

Participants from 11 countries learned about managing oil windfalls and shielding economies from price volatility.

RWI releases new research revealing the importance of disclosures by national oil companies, a largely-hidden area of the global market.

A Financial Times review praises The Oil Curse, an examination of the consequences of oil wealth by RWI advisor Michael Ross.

The World Bank's Kai Kaiser discusses a new report that considers resource rich nations through a "political economy" lens.

Nigeria's removal of longstanding fuel subsidies sparked the largest protest in Nigeria’s history and new debates over managing oil wealth.

RWI has held two regional workshops to help local groups analyze the report and take a leading role in Iraq's EITI process.

RWI's Alex Gillies appears on African television to discuss the Petroleum Industry Bill in Nigeria and prospects for oil sector reform amid the fuel subsidy controversy.

As citizens, unions and leaders clash over the removal of fuel subsidies, RWI says the crisis is a pivotal opportunity for oil sector reforms.

Africa’s largest oil producer was thrown into turmoil when regulators removed a subsidy on petroleum products, more than doubling consumer gas prices.

Keith Myers digs deep into the politics that have hindered the passage of Iraq's oil and gas law for more than four years.

Tensions were high at RWI's Beirut workshop as Iraqi lawmakers debated the role oil will play in their country's future.

Iraqi parliamentarians gathered in Beirut for a three-day workshop on lawmakers' roles and responsibilities in oil and gas oversight.

What would happen if Nigeria's government allocated oil revenues directly to citizens in the complex and turbulent Niger Delta?

Government officials and advocates from Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan met in October to discuss mining revenue management.

The Humala administration institutes a new mining framework to account for the commodities boom.

In September, RWI held a workshop on oil revenue management in Beirut, Lebanon.

RWI Deputy Director Antoine Heuty discusses how oil-rich countries in the MENA region can make sure that oil is linked to development and democracy.

Africa's economic ascent was the focus of the eighth annual African Economic Forum at Columbia University this March. Panelists argued that oil, gas and mining are the most important industries contributing to Africa's economic growth, and that they must improve transparency and management in order to spur development across the continent.
Iraqi civil society members concluded an RWI capacity building workshop with the decision to form a coalition of NGOs working for oil, gas and mining transparency.
A U.S. audit that found the U.S. Department of Defense unable to account properly for 96 percent of $9.1 billion in Iraqi funds from the sale of Iraq's oil underscores the need for Iraq's new government to adopt strong, transparent controls on oil revenues and spending if the country's oil industry is to fuel economic development rather than conflict.
Last week, more improprieties surfaced at the scandal-plagued Minerals Management Service, where oil companies had been allowed unethical influence over regulatory activities in Louisiana. The planned reorganization of the troubled MMS is only a half-step towards true reform though. Revenue Watch Director Karin Lissakers writes that the ongoing situation makes it clear that transparency of key public data, which makes it far harder to hide regulatory or industry misdeeds, is critical to accountable government.
New York—With the formal addition of Afghanistan to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative this week, leaders and citizens gained a new tool in the struggle for regional stability, and the embattled country signaled a commitment to sound natural resource management and increased public accountability.
The Revenue Watch Institute today congratulated the Government of Iraq as it formally announced that it would join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), taking a historic step toward the efficient and open management of its oil industry.
In the heightened political climate surrounding Iraq's upcoming election, lawmakers and others in Iraq are criticizing the country's pending natural gas deal with Shell Oil, saying that it offers lopsided benefits to the international oil giant and that it was drafted without adequate transparency or oversight.