Corruption, investment and natural resources
Date
2018
Authors
Simpson, A.
Editors
Alam, S.
Razzaque, J.
Bhuiyan, J.H.
Razzaque, J.
Bhuiyan, J.H.
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Book chapter
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Source details - Title: International natural resources law, investment and sustainability, 2018 / Alam, S., Razzaque, J., Bhuiyan, J.H. (ed./s), Ch.18, pp.416-434
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Abstract
International natural resources law, as with all international law, is difficult to enforce and operates within a framework of international agreements that rely for their efficacy on the widespread acceptance of, and adherence to, international norms. Corrupt practices within the natural resources sector undermine these norms, and therefore also the international agreements and law that they sustain. One of the key emerging international agreements that seeks to challenge corrupt practices in the natural resources sector is the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Since its emergence in the early 2000s the EITI has become a key tool for anti-corruption campaigners within the natural resources sector in the South, where corruption is most prevalent and destructive. It has reinforced an emerging global norm of transparency in natural resource expenditure and revenue that may provide an avenue for addressing deep-seated corrupt practices. Within states it provides a platform for civil society to engage directly with government and industry on an equal footing through the Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), a process that governments must accept as part of EITI membership. Despite this optimistic interpretation, the EITI’s ability to actually reduce corruption in the natural resources sector is still open to debate. One of the key case studies for assessing the efficacy of the EITI is Myanmar, which is experiencing a flood of foreign investment within its natural resources sector. Since a political and economic reform process ended Myanmar’s isolation from the West in 2011 the EITI has become emblematic of its newfound acceptance of international norms. Reform is certainly needed: Myanmar came last out of 58 countries in the inaugural Resource Governance Index of 2013. This chapter therefore explores the impact of corruption on the natural resources sector in the South and assesses the role of the EITI in Myanmar in alleviating this problem.
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Copyright 2018 selection and editorial matter, the editors; individual chapters, the contributors