Policies and Special Problems in Developing Countries

In recent years, developing countries rich in mineral resources have clearly formulated their joint mineral policy goals at an international level (see Sect. 8.1.1). The major concern of each of these countries is to gain greater control over the exploitation of its natural resources and to derive maximum benefit from them. This is understandable: for many developing countries control is vital because these raw materials are indispensable as a basis for economic development. These countries depend at the same time on the assistance of the industrialized nations for the know-how and capital needed to prospect for and open up deposits. The maintenance of this assistance must thus constitute one of the goals of commodity policy in developing countries. These two goals are difficult to reconcile with one another; the conflict can only be resolved by means of a compromise. Attempts to arrive at such a compromise are evident in national mining legislation, which contains very disparate features.