Contracts Confidential: Ending Secret Deals in the Extractive Industries (October 2009)

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From the abstract:

Contract transparency is sorely needed to improve the management of
natural resource wealth, particularly in developing nations where oil,
gas and minerals often account for more than half of the national
income.

When contracts are publicly available, government officials have an
incentive to stop negotiating bad deals with industry, and citizens can
allay their suspicions over hidden abuses. The result is better
contracts, greater public trust and a more stable investment climate.

This Revenue Watch Institute report, based on legal research,
in-person interviews and a comprehensive review of more than 150
extractive industry contracts, concludes that most government and
private sector objections to contract disclosure are unwarranted, and
counsels civil society institutions on how to better confront the
challenge of secret deals.