Transnational Governmentality in the Context of Resource Extraction

Abstract

Increasingly over the past three decades, international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and associated regional development banks have actively promoted and financed the liberalization of the hydrocarbon, mining, and timber extraction sectors of national economies across the globe. These same institutions have also enthusiastically espoused the merits of public-private cooperation as a means to sensitize businesses to the problems that accompany such extraction projects. Common wisdom holds that public-private collaborations among governments, multinational corporations (MNCs), and international financial institutions (IFIs) will enhance social well-being by eradicating poverty, promoting sustainable forms of economic development, and protecting the environment.