Free market advocates doubt the ability of industrial regulation to make oil and gas companies adopt local content practices. This study explores this position by assessing the effects of industrial regulations on business networks. Using data collected from a survey of 191 senior practitioners in the oil and gas industry in Tanzania and analysed using the PROCESS tool for moderating effect, the study shows that the continuity, complexity, cooperation, socialisation and formalisation of business networks all have significant positive effects on local content practice. At the same time, however, conflict has a significant negative effect on local content practice. The findings indicate that the interactions of industrial regulation with continuity, complexity, conflict and cooperation significantly reduce local content practices, while for interdependence, informality, adaptation, socialisation and formalisation the results are not significant. As such, this study implies that host countries should not exclusively depend on industrial regulation to achieve national objectives around local content. Policy formulation should take into account the business interconnectedness of oil and gas companies because local content practices are not only affected by industrial regulation but also by companies’ respective business networks.

自由市场的拥护者们对工业监管使石油和天然气公司采用当地含量惯例的能力表示怀疑。本研究通过评估工业法规对业务网络的影响来探索这一立场。利用对坦桑尼亚石油和天然气行业191位高级从业人员进行的调查收集的数据，并使用PROCESS工具进行了分析，以得出适度的效果，该研究表明，业务网络的连续性，复杂性，合作性，社会化和形式化均具有显着的积极影响关于本地内容的实践。但是，与此同时，冲突对本地内容实践具有重大的负面影响。研究结果表明，产业法规与连续性，复杂性，冲突和合作之间的相互作用显着减少了本地内容实践，对于相互依存，非正式，适应，社会化和形式化而言，结果并不重要。因此，这项研究表明，东道国不应仅仅依靠工业法规来实现围绕当地内容的国家目标。政策制定应考虑到石油和天然气公司之间的业务联系，因为本地内容实践不仅受到行业法规的影响，还受到公司各自业务网络的影响。