In the context of a global surge in demand for commodities, increasing competition and rising prices, several industrialized countries including the European Union have adopted strategies to secure access to raw materials. At the same time, in resource-rich developing countries the debate has...

Given the far-reaching implications of commodity prices for developing countries an understanding of the factors behind recent commodity price developments is crucial. ÖFSE research shows that besides structural changes in fundamental supply and demand conditions, the increasing presence of...

Commodity prices that are increasingly determined on global commodity derivative markets are important for economic and social development. The historically unprecedented commodity price boom - combined with high volatility - since the early-2000s has led to a debate about the functioning of...

Private sector development (PSD) has taken on an increasingly prominent role in international development cooperation. This note argues that the private sector has to play an important role in sustainable economic and inclusive development but points out three concerns for effective PSD...

Price instability is a major concern for commodity producers in developing countries. Commodity derivative markets have become the central pricing mechanism for international commodity trade. This is problematic given the high volatility and increased short-termism of these markets in the...

"No blood in my cell phone" - In the early 2000s, NGO-campaign slogans pointed out the links between raw materials in electronic products and the financing of armed conflicts. These campaigns focused on the responsibility of companies for their supply chain. In July 2017, an EU regulation came...

Seit dem 1. Januar 2021 müssen Unternehmen, die bestimmte mineralische Rohstoffe in die EU einführen, dafür sorgen, durch ihre Beschaffungspraktiken nicht zu Konflikten und Menschenrechtsverletzungen beizutragen. Damit endet die Übergangsfrist der 2017 veröffentlichten EU-Verordnung zu...

Um das nötige Wissen für eine Ressourcenwende zu generieren und zu verbinden, sind - angesichts der Komplexität des Themas und der Vielfalt von Akteuren und Interessen - transdisziplinäre Forschungsprozesse unabdinglich. In einem transdisziplinären Setting kommen ForscherInnen und...

"No blood in my cell phone" - Anfang der 2000er-Jahre zeigten Kampagnen von Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NGOs) Verbindungen zwischen Rohstoffen in Elektronikprodukten und der Finanzierung des Krieges in der Demokratischen Republik Kongo (DRC) auf. In diesem Zusammenhang rückte auch die...