This paper presents key questions of concern to emerging oil and gas producers and lays out possible policy options. These producers face a particular set of governance challenges because they are often faced with capacity constraints and have limited information on their resource base. There is a wide variety of national circumstances that affect which policy and investment options are available to them, such as the size of the resource base, state administrative capabilities and oil and gas experience. The paper focuses on two sets of policy challenges. One relates to designing the licensing terms and sector legislation in a manner that attracts the most qualified investors under terms that are beneficial to the country in the long-term. The second is to set up capable institutions to oversee and monitor resource development. This challenge is compounded in a context of uncertainty about the size and lifespan of reserves and, therefore, also about future revenues.
The paper is available to download at the link below.