ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the nexus approach, identifies important ways in which our world politics and economics are changing, and explains the importance of effective governance at multiple levels for meeting challenges arising from the resource nexus. The resource nexus comprises the numerous linkages among different natural resources and raw materials that arise from economic, political, social and natural processes. This research conceptualizes the nexus as a set of interactions, including important drivers of existing and future risks, threats and opportunities. The chapter argues that most resource nexus challenges arise from inadequate governance or disagreements about governance, and solutions to address these challenges lie in adapting existing governance institutions or creating new ones. The analysis distinguishes five such dimensions: physical, economic, political, environmental and equity. Certainly, each dimension is related to each of the others, but articulating each dimension separately helps to capture the complexity and contradictions at work in debates, conflicts and cooperation around resources.
