A number of countries have recently discovered and are developing oil and gas reserves. Policy makers in such countries are anxious to obtain the greatest benefits for their economies from the extraction of these exhaustible resources by designing appropriate policies to achieve desired goals. One important theme of such policies is the so-called local content created by the sector--the extent to which the output of the extractive industry sector generates further benefits to the economy beyond the direct contribution of its value-added, through its links to other sectors. While local content policies have the potential to stimulate broad-based economic development, their application in petroleum-rich countries has achieved mixed results. This paper describes the policies and practices meant to foster the development of economic linkages from the petroleum sector, as adopted by a number of petroleum-producing countries both in and outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Examples of policy objectives, implementation tools, and reporting metrics are provided to derive lessons of wider applicability. The paper presents various conclusions for policy makers about the design of local content policies.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments • Abbreviations and Acronyms • Executive Summary • Chapter 1: Defining Local Content • Links and Local Content • Sector Links • Local Content and the Value Chain • Why Do Governments Wish to Increase Local Content? • Notes • References • Chapter 2: The Case for (and against) Local Content Policies in the Petroleum Sector • Productive Development Policies and the Role of Local Content Policies: A Brief History • The Role of the State in Productive Development Policies: A Conceptual Framework • Arguments for the Use of Local Content Policies • Arguments against the Use of Local Content Policies • Conclusion • Notes • References • Chapter 3: Types of Local Content Policies • Policy Statements, Channels, Tools of Implementation, and Reporting Arrangements • The Recruitment, Training, and Promotion of Nationals • Sourcing of Goods and Services • Local Content versus Local Content Development • Classification of LCPs by Channel of Intervention and Transversality • Conclusion • Notes • References • Chapter 4: Policy Metrics • Categories of Metrics • Metrics for Measuring Local Content in the Workforce • Metrics for Measuring Local Content in Supply Chains • Measuring Local Content Development • Conclusion • Notes • References • Chapter 5: The Design and Implementation of Local Content Policies: Lessons Learned • Local Content Policies in a Selected Sample of Countries • Key Policy Questions • Conclusion: What Really Matters • Notes • References • Chapter 6: What Remains Unanswered • Note • Appendix A: Activities at Each Stage of the Oil and Gas Value Chain • Appendix B: Input-Output Tables, Forward and Backward Links • Appendix C: Building Blocks of GTAP Social Accounting Matrices • Appendix D: Selected Countries’ Backward and Forward Links for the Oil and Gas Sector • Appendix E: Typology of LCPs for Selected Countries