Course summary

Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: The Fundamentals of Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance, a joint course by the Natural Resource Governance Institute, the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, and the World Bank, gives students an understanding of the key challenges and opportunities that come with managing extractive industry investments for sustainable development.

When managed prudently, oil, gas, and mining investments and the vast revenues they generate can sustain development efforts and make a lasting positive impact on the life of citizens. However, without proper policies, frameworks, and oversight, these same investments have the potential to destabilize public financial management systems, bring negative environmental and social impacts, and increase the risk of corruption.

This course, which is offered twice a year, builds knowledge to make the most of oil, gas, and minerals, while mitigating the risks that these industries bring. It outlines the various complex and interrelated aspects of natural resource governance, including: understanding the governance and industry fundamentals; developing and implementing robust and transparent legal frameworks; designing fiscal regimes to capture a fair share of the revenues; managing environmental risks; engaging with communities; leveraging investments for infrastructure and business linkages; and managing revenues for economic diversification and development, among others.

By joining this course, you are also becoming part of a global movement of citizens and practitioners committed to harnessing the transformational impacts of these resources. The success of the course depends on an active student base that represents a diversity of experiences, geographies, and perspectives.

Add your voice to the global discussion by registering today.

Course structure and requirements

The course is structured around a series of pre-recorded lectures, readings, quizzes, and discussion forums. These course components can be completed at a time that is convenient for the students, and most quizzes and timed activities are given a two-week window for completion. The material for each week is made available each Monday, and once the material has been opened, it remains open for the duration of the course. There are no written assignments for this course.

In addition to the recorded lectures, readings, and quizzes, the instructors and select visiting experts will hold several real-time discussions on Google Hangouts so that students can ask questions and engage directly with the instructors and leading practitioners working in this field. The exact dates of these discussions will be announced early in the course.

The estimated time commitment to complete all course components is 4-6 hours per week, though this depends heavily on the student and his/her objectives in taking the course.

Students who successfully complete the course will receive a digital certificate of completion, signed by the course organizers. In order to successfully complete the course, students must score an average of 70 percent or higher on the quizzes and final exam, all of which are multiple choice. Students who score 85 percent or higher will receive certificates of completion with distinction. While this course is not credit granting, we encourage students to work with their own institutions to explore the option of granting credit for online coursework.

If you have any additional questions on the course structure or requirements, please email the SDSN Education Initiatives Team at [email protected]. For technical questions about the platform, please email, [email protected].

Course syllabus

Challenges and opportunities

Introduction to the course
Lisa Sachs, Director, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Patrick Heller, Director, Legal and Economic Programs, Natural Resource Governance Institute

Short history of oil, gas, and mining
Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute and Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Challenges and opportunities of oil, gas, and mining
Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute and Sustainable Development Solutions Network

The decision chain of natural resource management (I)
Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University

The decision chain of natural resource management (II)
Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University

Political economy of natural resources

How natural resources shape and are shaped by political context
Alexandra Gillies, Director, Governance Programs, Natural Resource Governance Institute

How natural resources affect government behavior to the world
Michael Ross, Professor of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles

Natural resources and the broader governance framework
Daniel Kaufmann, President, Natural Resource Governance Institute

Transparency and accountability
Daniel Kaufmann, President, Natural Resource Governance Institute

International governance initiatives
Alexandra Gillies, Director, Governance Programs, Natural Resource Governance Institute

Fundamentals of oil, gas, and mining: industry considerations and policy implications

From oil well to car - Market, players, and extraction process in oil
Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman, Hermes Equity Ownership Services

From mine to mobile phone - Market, players, and extraction process in mining
Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman, Hermes Equity Ownership Services

How a company decides to invest in a project
Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman, Hermes Equity Ownership Services

The project development process
Antonio Pedro, Director, UNECA Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa

Evolving Technology
Antonio Pedro, Director, UNECA Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa

Legal overview

Legal and regulatory frameworks for extractive industries
Patrick Heller, Director, Legal and Economic Programs, Natural Resource Governance Institute

Allocation of rights
Paulo de Sa, Practice Manager, Energy and Extractives Practice, World Bank

Implementation and monitoring of legal frameworks
Patrick Heller, Director, Legal and Economic Programs, Natural Resource Governance Institute

International law and the extractive industries
Lise Johnson, Head, Investment Law and Policy, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

Regional harmonization: Case studies from Africa
Antonio Pedro, Director, UNECA Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa

State-owned enterprises: Role and governance
Patrick Heller, Director, Legal and Economic Programs, Natural Resource Governance Institute

Fiscal regime design and revenue collection

Resource economics
Bryan Land, Lead Mining Specialist, World Bank

Fiscal policy principles and practice
Bryan Land, Lead Mining Specialist, World Bank

Fiscal design concepts for extractives
Bryan Land, Lead Mining Specialist, World Bank

Fiscal regime types
Bryan Land, Lead Mining Specialist, World Bank

Fiscal regime design challenges (I)
Bryan Land, Lead Mining Specialist, World Bank

Fiscal regime design challenges (II)
Bryan Land, Lead Mining Specialist, World Bank

Anticipating and managing environmental issues

Environmental challenges and trends: Oil and gas
Daniel Franks, Programme Manager, United Nations Development Programme

Environmental challenges and trends: Mining
Daniel Franks, Programme Manager, United Nations Development Programme

Managing environmental challenges
Daniel Franks, Programme Manager, United Nations Development Programme

Extractives and climate change
Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute and Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Community rights

Impact on, and engagement with, local communities
Cielo Magno, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, University of the Philippines

Human rights and the extractive industries
Cielo Magno, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, University of the Philippines

Social impacts and community development agreements
Cielo Magno, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, University of the Philippines

Vulnerable groups: indigenous rights and gender issues
Cielo Magno, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, University of the Philippines

Artisanal mining

Introduction to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)
Cristina Villegas, Deputy Director, Mines to Markets, Pact

Challenges of ASM
Cristina Villegas, Deputy Director, Mines to Markets, Pact

ASM and gender
Cristina Villegas, Deputy Director, Mines to Markets, Pact

Tensions between artisanal and large-scale mining
Cristina Villegas, Deputy Director, Mines to Markets, Pact

Key opportunities and the way forward
Cristina Villegas, Deputy Director, Mines to Markets, Pact

Revenue management

Challenges of revenue management
Mohammed Amin Adam, Executive Director, Africa Centre for Energy Policy

Policy responses: Savings, spending, public debt, and earmarking
Mohammed Amin Adam, Executive Director, Africa Centre for Energy Policy

Natural resource funds
Havard Halland, Economist, World Bank

Revenue sharing and decentralization
Mohammed Amin Adam, Executive Director, Africa Centre for Energy Policy

Investing in sustainable development: Economic linkages to the extractives sector

Introduction to economic linkages
Anthony Paul, Principal Consultant, Association of Caribbean Energy Specialists

Local employment
Anthony Paul, Principal Consultant, Association of Caribbean Energy Specialists

Local procurement
Anthony Paul, Principal Consultant, Association of Caribbean Energy Specialists

Enabling technology transfer
Anthony Paul, Principal Consultant, Association of Caribbean Energy Specialists

Downstream linkages
Anthony Paul, Principal Consultant, Association of Caribbean Energy Specialists

Investing in sustainable development: Looking beyond extractives

Investing in investing
Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University

Leveraging extractive industries for infrastructure
Perrine Toledano, Head, Extractive Industries, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

Integrated spatial planning
Michael Stanley, Sector Lead, Mining, World Bank

Resource-for-infrastructure deals
Havard Halland, Economist, World Bank

Cross-cutting considerations and looking ahead

Political tripod and authorizing environment
Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University

Engaging citizens
Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University

Aligning extractive industries with the SDGs
Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute and Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Course wrap-up
Lisa Sachs, Director, Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment
Patrick Heller, Director, Legal and Economic Programs, Natural Resource Governance Institute