Chair in Strategic Resource Governance: Macroeconomics and Geopolitics

Its objectives are to:

• Assess the macroeconomic and fiscal vulnerabilities of developing resource-producing countries, for which critical minerals constitute both a source of financing and an increased source of risk 
• Examine the geopolitical significance of these resources for consumer economies in the Global North 
• Deepen understanding of the interactions between natural resources (including agriculture and extractive industries) and development trajectories 
• Develop actionable public policy recommendations for governments in both the Global North and South, as well as for the international community

The global economy is undergoing a phase of sustained geopolitical fragmentation, marked by intensifying conflicts, rising strategic rivalries and the reconfiguration of global value chains.

In this context, strategic natural resources—notably critical minerals linked to the energy transition and digitalisation—play a central role in international economic and security dynamics.

For many developing countries, particularly in Africa and fragile regions, the coexistence of a large agricultural sector and abundant extractive resources constitutes both:

•  a major opportunity for development financing 
•  a source of macroeconomic, fiscal and institutional vulnerabilities 

The Chair provides an integrated analysis of these issues, at the intersection of macroeconomics, natural resource economics and the analysis of financial and geopolitical risks.

Area 1 – Macroeconomics and Shock Management

Analysis of fiscal and budgetary policies in developing countries in response to external shocks, with a focus on domestic resource mobilization, public spending efficiency, price regulation of key commodities (petroleum products and food), as well as the digitalization and decarbonization of economies (North–South relations, demand for critical minerals).

Area 2 – Natural Resources, Agriculture and Critical Minerals

Integrated analysis of the agricultural sector and extractive industries, including the distribution of natural resource rents (taxation, contracts, etc.), interactions between agriculture, mining, and land use, food security (price- versus quantity-based policies), and economic diversification through value chains.

Area 3 – Geopolitical Risks, Security and Macroeconomic Vulnerabilities

Examination of geopolitical risks, macroeconomic vulnerabilities, and their impact on growth, alongside analysis of investment flows, public finances, and supply chains for strategic resources.