For countries to benefit from resource wealth, citizens and their governments must make a broad range of decisions. Each decision requires governments to consider complex options and trade-offs and devise strategies to implement these policy choices.

KEY MESSAGES

• The decision chain illustrates the process of converting natural resources into longterm sustainable development, from exploration and discovery to spending the revenues.
• The decision chain differs from the industry value chain in that it focuses on the output of better development as opposed to a more valuable tradable good.
• The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and other organizations use the Natural Resource Charter to describe good governance along the decision chain.