Myanmar's extractive industries: An institutional and regulatory assessment

Myanmar is undergoing rapid political, economic and social transition. This paper examines the regulatory governance of Myanmar's extractive industries amidst this reform process. Based on the literature review, the paper develops an evaluative framework for assessing regulatory governance in the extractive industries, which includes six criteria: (1) clarity of roles and objectives; (2) stability and predictability; (3) participation; (4) capacity; (5) autonomy; and (6) transparency and accountability. The regulatory governance of Myanmar's extractive industries is evaluated against the criteria, using original qualitative data to illustrate the key issues and challenges. Overall, the country has made notable improvements in recent years. The out-dated regulatory framework that has governed Myanmar's extractive resources during military rule is transitioning to a framework that may enable improved industry practice and lead to responsible investment. However, reform processes of this scale cannot materialise over a short timeframe. The paper identifies priority area for the government in order to shift away from hitherto dominant norms and practice.