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Alternatives to local content requirements in resource-rich countries

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  • Ivar Kolstad
  • Abel Kinyondo

Abstract

This paper discusses whether and to what extent resource-rich developing countries should introduce local content policies, i.e. requirements to include local inputs in petroleum extraction activities of multinational corporations. We argue that local content needs to be seen as a public expenditure question, since local content requirements increase multinational costs, and hence reduce the taxes which can be extracted from these companies. This implies that there are opportunity costs in imposing local content requirements, since the forgone taxes can be used in others ways which could potentially do more to improve development prospects. Moreover, past experiences of resource-rich developing countries suggest that local content policies can exacerbate key problems of patronage and rent-seeking which resource rents generate, increasing the chance that the resource wealth will prevent rather than help development. These arguments suggest that an optimal local content policy in the context of flawed institutions is a more limited one than those typically pursued by developing countries with recently discovered petroleum reserves. Using qualitative data from Tanzania, a country with recent discoveries of substantial natural gas deposits, we analyze why local content tends to become such a central issue in debates and policy processes, despite its potentially problematic aspects.

Suggested Citation

  • Ivar Kolstad & Abel Kinyondo, 2017. "Alternatives to local content requirements in resource-rich countries," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(4), pages 409-423, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:oxdevs:v:45:y:2017:i:4:p:409-423
    DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2016.1262836
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jeffrey D. Sachs & Andrew M. Warner, 1995. "Natural Resource Abundance and Economic Growth," NBER Working Papers 5398, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Frankel, Jeffrey A., 2012. "The Natural Resource Curse: A Survey of Diagnoses and Some Prescriptions," Scholarly Articles 8694932, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    3. Ivar Kolstad & Arne Wiig, 2014. "Diversification and democracy," CMI Working Papers 9, CMI (Chr. Michelsen Institute), Bergen, Norway.
    4. International Monetary Fund, 2014. "United Republic of Tanzania: Selected Issues," IMF Staff Country Reports 2014/121, International Monetary Fund.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ivar Kolstad & Arne Wiig & Odd‐Helge Fjeldstad, 2021. "Citizens’ preferences for taxation of internationally mobile corporations: Evidence from Tanzania," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 548-562, May.
    2. Weldegiorgis, Fitsum S. & Dietsche, Evelyn & Franks, Daniel M., 2021. "Building mining's economic linkages: A critical review of local content policy theory," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Issabayev, Murat & Pelzman, Joseph, 2019. "A model of FDI spillover in a natural resource rich LDC," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    4. Arena, Marika & Azzone, Giovanni & Dell’Agostino, Laura & Scotti, Francesco, 2022. "Precision policies and local content targets in resource-rich developing countries: The case of the oil and gas sector in Mozambique," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    5. Issabayev, Murat & Rizvanoghlu, Islam, 2019. "Optimal choice between local content requirement and fiscal policy in extractive industries: A theoretical analysis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1-8.
    6. Kinyondo, Abel & Pelizzo, Riccardo, 2020. "Socioeconomic Impact of Tourism: The Case of Tanzania," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 8(2), July.
    7. Kalyuzhnova, Yelena & Belitski, Maksim, 2019. "The impact of corruption and local content policy in on firm performance: Evidence from Kazakhstan," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 67-76.

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