The State Offshore: Petroleum, Politics and State Intervention on the British and Norwegian Continental Shelves

Since the 1965 discovery of energy resources in the North Sea, the governments of both Great Britain and Norway have been involved with exploring, developing, and producing offshore oil. Nelsen describes and explains the various forms of state involvement in offshore petroleum activities, from minimal to regulatory to participatory. He describes and analyzes the workings of Britain and Norway to show how state actions and decisions result from complex interactions among government officials, economic interests, and environmental pressures.