Revenue Watch Institute - Our Work

REVENUE WATCH INSTITUTE PROJECTS

Revenue Watch promotes transparent, accountable and effective management of natural resource wealth to help countries avoid the "resource curse." We take a comprehensive approach to improving governance and development across the entire value chain, from with the organization of extractive production, revenue generation, and revenue management, and through to the expenditure processes and development outcomes in these resource rich countries.

We have played a central role in nurturing and building the capacity of the transparency and accountability movement in producing countries for the past five years, as a leader in the ongoing promotion and internationalization of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI); through support for a growing body of research on best practices in revenue management; and through local partnerships to create savings and expenditure strategies for natural resource windfalls, among many other initiatives.

Grant-making is RWI's primary tool for engaging civil society in resource-rich countries and is an important means to motivate, support and build grassroots movements that create sustained local and international demand for revenue and expenditure transparency. Learn more about RWI Projects below.

Advocacy

Capacity Building

Civil Society Monitoring & EITI

Civil Society Monitoring & EITI, cont.

Mainstreaming Revenue Transparency

Research

Technical Assistance

ISSUES

Revenue Transparency
The linkages between resource wealth, poverty, conflict and corruption–the so-called "resource curse"–are well documented. Public information and public accountability are the best guarantee that a country's resource wealth will translate into lasting benefits for its citizens over time.
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Expenditure Transparency
It is impossible to ensure proper management of natural resource wealth by looking exclusively at revenues. Transparent and accountable management and expenditure of public funds is essential to addressing the poverty, corruption and autocracy that too often plague resource rich countries.
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COUNTRIES

Gabon
With the recent death of President Omar Bongo, Gabon faces a stark choice between a legacy of corruption and a new chance to give citizens a role in the management of its natural resources. The need for change is especially urgent because Gabon's oil reserves are finite. Oil production has dropped 30% since 2000, while leaders have allowed the non-oil industries to remain underdeveloped.
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Ecuador
Since the inauguration of President Rafael Correa in January 2007, Ecuador has undergone momentous political change. In prior governments, confrontation between the executive and legislative branches bred intense political instability. Despite these tensions, Ecuador was able to establish a sound legal framework for transparency. However, a public perception of poor transparency persists.
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Contracts Confidential: Ending Secret Deals in the Extractive Industries

Contract transparency is sorely needed to improve the management of natural resource wealth. In a new report from RWI, authors Peter Rosenblum and Susan Maples delve into government and private sector objections to contract disclosure and make conclusions about what information may legitimately and reasonably be kept confidential, and how civil society institutions can better confront the challenge of secret deals.
Learn more about the report ...