Curriculum Vitae
James Cust · Development Economist
James Cust
Development Economist
University of Oxford · World Bank
jimcust@gmail.com · jamescust.com · LinkedIn · Bluesky · Google Scholar
Current Positions
- 2016–
Senior Economist, Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region
World Bank
- Oxford
Visiting Fellow of Practice
Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
- CSIS
Senior Associate (Non-resident)
Center for Strategic and International Studies, Critical Minerals Security Program
- Payne
Non-Resident Fellow
Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines
- OxCarre
External Research Associate
Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich Economies
Previous Positions
- 2023–25
Chief Economist
Future.Green (on leave from World Bank)
- 2013–16
Director of Research and Data
Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)
- 2009–13
Acting Director
Natural Resource Charter
Research Interests
- Natural resources and economic development
- Critical minerals and the energy transition
- Industrial policy in low- and middle-income countries
- Fiscal policy and sovereign wealth funds
- The presource curse
Education
- 2014
DPhil Economics
University of Oxford (OxCarre)
-
MSc Economics for Development (Distinction)
University of Oxford
-
BA Economics (First Class Honours)
University of Cambridge
Teaching
- Oxford
Managing Mining, Oil and Gas for National Development
Executive education course, Blavatnik School of Government. Co-taught with Sir Paul Collier.
Referee and Editorial Service
- 2026–
Associate Editor
Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press
- Referee
Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of African Economies, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Energy Policy, The Energy Journal, Energy Economics, The Extractive Industries and Society, Resources Policy, World Development
Selected Publications
- 2023
James Cust, Torfinn Harding, Hanna Krings, Alexis Rivera-Ballesteros (2023). "Public Governance versus Corporate Governance: Evidence from Oil Drilling in Forests." Journal of Development Economics. DOI ↗
- 2022
James Cust, Shantayanan Devarajan, Pierre Mandon (2022). "Dutch Disease and the Public Sector: How Natural Resources Can Undermine Competitiveness in Africa." Journal of African Economies. Journal ↗
- 2020
James Cust, Torfinn Harding (2020). "Institutions and the Location of Oil Exploration." Journal of the European Economic Association. DOI ↗
- 2019
James Cust, Torfinn Harding, Pierre-Louis Vézina (2019). "Dutch Disease Resistance: Evidence from Indonesian Firms." Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. DOI ↗
- 2015
Paul Collier, James Cust (2015). "Investing in Africa's Infrastructure: Financing and Policy Options." Annual Review of Resource Economics. DOI ↗
- 2015
James Cust, Steven Poelhekke (2015). "The Local Economic Impacts of Natural Resource Extraction." Annual Review of Resource Economics. DOI ↗
- 2009
James Cust (2009). "Using Intermediate Indicators: Lessons for Climate Policy." Climate Policy. DOI ↗
- 2008
Karsten Neuhoff, Andreas Ehrenmann, Lucy Butler, James Cust, Harriet Hoexter, Kim Keats, Adam Kreczko, Graham Sinden (2008). "Space and Time: Wind in an Investment Planning Model." Energy Economics. DOI ↗
Working Papers
- 2023
James Cust, Paul Collier, Alexis Rivera-Ballesteros (2023). "Are the Poorest Catching Up?." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 10622. WB PRWP ↗
- 2022
James Cust, Alexis Rivera Ballesteros, Albert G. Zeufack (2022). "The Dog that Didn't Bark: The Missed Opportunity of Africa's Resource Boom." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 10120. WB PRWP ↗
- 2022
David Mihalyi, Jyhjong Hwang, Diego Rivetti, James Cust (2022). "Resource-Backed Loans in Sub-Saharan Africa." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9923. WB PRWP ↗
- 2020
James Cust, Justice Tei Mensah (2020). "Natural Resource Discoveries, Citizen Expectations and Household Decisions." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9372. WB PRWP ↗
- 2017
James Cust, David Mihalyi (2017). "Evidence for a Presource Curse? Oil Discoveries, Elevated Expectations, and Growth Disappointments." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 8140. WB PRWP ↗
- 2016
David Manley, James Cust, Giorgia Cecchinato (2016). "Stranded Nations? The Climate Policy Implications for Fossil Fuel-Rich Developing Countries." OxCarre Policy Paper 34. SSRN ↗
Books & Edited Volumes
- 2025
James Cust, World Bank Group (2025). Mineral Resources of Africa. World Bank Group. Read ↗
- 2023
James Cust, Albert Zeufack (2023). Africa's Resource Future: Harnessing Natural Resources for Economic Transformation during the Low-Carbon Transition. World Bank Group. DOI ↗
- 2021
Glenn-Marie Lange, James Cust, Diego Herrera, Esther Naikal, Grzegorz Peszko (2021). The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future. World Bank Group. DOI ↗
Policy Outputs
- 2025
"Africa's Natural Resources: Engine for Economic Transformation." World Bank Blogs. Read ↗
- 2022
"Advice in the Time of COVID-19." World Bank Blogs. Read ↗
- 2022
"Managing Nature's Assets is Key to Sustainable Growth in Africa: Insights from the Changing Wealth of Nations 2021." World Bank Blogs. Read ↗
- 2017
"The Presource Curse." IMF Finance & Development. Read ↗
- 2014
"Natural Resource Charter (Second Edition)." Natural Resource Governance Institute. Read ↗