Can Petronia Avoid the Resource Curse? It’s All Up to You in a New Interactive Online Course
Listen to The Economist's Money Talks podcast, which featured an introduction to Petronia in a 26 June episode.
NRGI is proud to announce the arrival of Petronia, an interactive online course unlike any other in the resource governance field, where learners can “play” at influencing resource governance outcomes in a simulated context.
More than any other NRGI resource to date, Petronia makes learning about resource governance fun and interactive with dynamic animations and a close focus on learning through roleplaying and gamification. It is ideal for online learners with limited background in the field, but a desire to understand key issues.
The course explores the policy challenges in the Republic of Petronia, a fictional developing country that has made a potentially game-changing oil discovery. Learners join a team of experts deployed to advise the country’s policy-makers in a series of missions exploring different aspects of resource governance over time. Learners build their knowledge of the technical issues while developing an understanding of the different perspectives and complex trade-offs of managing resource wealth for development.
Learners not only think and reflect about policy choices in Petronia, they can also “do” by consulting stakeholders, analyzing government and international data, and developing recommendations with their team. We hope this “serious gaming” aspect will appeal to both adult and youth learners alike.
Petronia is available free and on demand, which is especially convenient to those unable to commit to the more resource- and time-intensive NRGI in-person learning courses or the massive open online course.
Learners set their own pace and choose missions according to their interests in Petronia’s immersive reality, which draws from the best of NRGI’s learning tools, including case studies, modelling tools, plain-language policy explanations and data tools. This course requires English proficiency and takes between four and eight hours depending on reading commitment.
Check out Petronia and let us know what you think. Visit www.petronia.games.
Katarina Kuai is a senior capacity development officer with the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI).
