This book addresses the challenges facing stable democratic states in dealing with oil companies in order to secure general welfare gains. Within the context of company/government relations the book considers such current topics as the challenges of dealing with merged companies and the strategic choices facing tax authorities.

Contents: Introduction, Solveig Glomsrød and Petter Osmundsen; Optimal petroleum taxation subject to mobility and information constraints, Petter Osmundsen; Critical factors in transnational oil companies localisation decisions - clusters and portfolio optimisation, Hans Jarle Kind, Petter Osmundsen and Ragnar Tveterås; The taxing task of taxing transnationals, Thomas A. Gresik; Substantial petroleum wealth: does monetary policy regime matter?, Torbjørn Eika and Knut Moum; Saving petroleum wealth: tales of three jurisdictions, Rögnvaldur Hannesson; Petroleum policy and prospects in the UK continental shelf, Alex Kemp and Linda Stephen; The petroleum tax system revisited, Nina Bjerkedal and Torgeir Johnsen; Index.