| Summary: | Between 1993 and 2001 Robert Mabro, in his capacity as Director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, presided over the publication of a series of books on the political economy of oil (the series includes, in publication order, Venezuela, Nigeria, Indonesia, Libya, and Algeria). In a way, this initiative was in step with the prevailing renewed research trend. The emphasis was on the role of oil in shaping the political, economic, and social dynamics affecting the major oil exporting countries of the developing world. However, while most relevant publications of that period were of a broad thematic nature, this series focused on the oil and gas industry of individual countries in the context of history, political economy, and international relations. As far as I am aware, the rationale for the book series was twofold – the obvious one being to make a contribution towards filling a research gap in the field. Given the countries’ importance to the world’s oil (and increasingly gas) markets, deeper insight was needed to form a better understanding of their policies and institutional constraints. The less obvious reason is that multiple country case studies can help reflect the diversity of contexts and conditions and draw on distinct sources of evidence to discern national idiosyncrasies.
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