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AbstractThis article examines the nature and significance of the power imbalance between developing countries and transnational corporations (TNCs) in the natural resource sector. It situates this power imbalance within the context of global economic realities, including the high profitability of extractive TNCs; rampant poverty in developing countries; dependence of many developing countries on the extractive sector for economic sustenance; and lack of regulatory expertise on the part of developing countries. The article suggests two potential avenues for addressing this power imbalance. First, it advocates for the recognition of TNCs as "subjects" of international law, thus paving way for the imposition of some international law duties on TNCs. Secondly, the article argues that civil society groups should be empowered to participate actively in the regulatory process and that an empowered civil society could potentially counterbalance the power of TNCs and other corporations.

This article argues that one of the reasons for the poor performance of African journalism is the difficult conditions under which African journalists work. This has naturally affected their reporting. Underpaid, poorly trained and working under both political and commercial pressures, many African journalists suffer from the devaluing of their profession, which has left them vulnerable and isolated. Improving the quality of media in Africa requires an understanding of both the importance of a well-functioning media and the reasons for its failure. Therefore, this paper begins with an examination of the link between the role of the media and economic development, followed by an articulation of the key challenges facing journalists in Africa today. These challenges are illustrated through a case study of African coverage of the extractive sector.

Attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to post-conflict countries is difficult. After conflict ends, governments struggle to perfectly enforce the institutions which otherwise shield investors from political instability. Reflecting this governance problem, this article presents a new explanation linking United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations to subnational allocations of FDI in post-conflict countries. I specifically argue that deployments of UN peacekeeping police credibly signal to foreign firms where future political instability is least likely to disrupt their operations. Data from Liberia's extractive sector support my argument. Increasing the local deployment of UN police encourages foreign firms to establish new natural resource concessions, particularly in areas where the government's capacity to uphold the rule of law is weak.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of African media coverage of the extractive industries. This sector plays prominently on the African political, economic, social and journalistic landscape, yet coverage of these industries remains a challenge for African journalists. The financial and technical aspects of the extractive sector are complex, and both governments and companies often have a vested interest in withholding information from journalists. Many reporters lack sufficient training, resources and/or journalistic freedom to publish accurate, well‐researched, in‐depth coverage. As a result, what are arguably some of the most critical industries on the continent operate in relative freedom from public scrutiny. By making a careful study of African media coverage of the extractive sector in three countries, this report hopes to identify key strengths and weaknesses in extractive industry reporting as well as opportunities for media support and the expansion or revision of current media training efforts. The discovery of oil in Uganda in 2006 and in Ghana in 2007 brought both a great deal of excitement and a considerable level of worry to these countries. While extractive resources (oil, gas and mining) are a leading source of wealth for many African countries, this wealth often leads to corruption and conflict. In fact, countries with abundant natural resources tend to fall below less resource‐wealthy countries in terms of human development, a paradox economist Richard Auty and subsequent researchers have labeled the "resource curse." This report is based on two premises: first, that if Africans are to benefit from the immense resource stores that lie beneath their soil, great efforts must be made toward transparency in how these resources are handled. Second, the call for transparency cannot come from non‐governmental organizations and individual political leaders alone. The African media have a critical responsibility to push toward government and corporate openness in the extractive industries. African media have made great strides since the latter half of the twentieth century, but they continue to struggle to fulfill their role as society's watchdog. Instead of keeping governments in check through enterprising stories or investigative pieces, most African media have instead been leashed by a confluence of factors. Lack of resources, government intimidation and interference, media ownership, revenue structures and declining educational quality all make the job of the African journalist difficult. To mitigate some of these constraints, local and international non‐governmental organizations (NGOs), media outlets and in some cases government agencies are training journalists to more fully understand the intricacies of the areas that they cover.