Natural Resource Governenance puts the extractive resource – oil, gas, and coal, and forestry – must be managed wisely through considering the whole aspects of energy security, social welfare and sustainability. Regarding Article 33 of the Constitution 1945, extractive resource is a public good which is not merely a commodity in the chain of national and global trade.

This topic attempts to study natural resource governance from the very paradigmatic matters, namely: discovering the extent to which the idea of extractivism ideas become the hegemonic public reason, move the economic development, and preserve the entire social and economic activities. This approach perceives management and resource extraction as a political phenomenon, since it is in the battle of diverse interests as well as at various levels of mutual interconnection from global, national to sub-national. Through this approach, it is identified that the discourse of natural resource governance is very diverse, not merely limited to a matter of management but also extended to the realm of the political, from the issue of ownership of resources (such as resource nationalism, as well as licenses politics and fiscal regime, etc.) to the accommodation of public interest in extractive resource governance.

Through this study topic, PolGov endeavor to scrutinize a breakthrough of science by connecting the idea of good governance to the extractive resource governance that is more political. Good governance is a hegemonic discourse since the 1990s while the study of the political governance of extractive industries effort to dismantle extractivism reason and find a way that goes beyond extractivism.

In the meanwhile at the practical aspect, this topic concerns with the study of the relationship between the state, private sector and society in the context of the redistribution of positive impacts and minimize negative impacts in the extractive industries sector. Research series at this topic also examine various reforms of initiatives in revenue management from the extractive sector, such as shown by the scheme of Extractive industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI), the Natural Resource Charter, Topical Trust Funds for Managing Resource Wealth owned by the International Monetary Fund, and the Petroleum Governance Initiative initiated by the World Bank.

In this topic, PolGov develops knowledge hub on extractive industries governance in the Asia Pacific region to advances academic study as well as establishes a network of policy advocacy for improving extractive industries governance in Asia Pacific. A series of research and numerous publications at this topic can be read through websites Resource Governance Program in Asia Pacific (Regina).