Contention and Ambiguity: Mining and the Possibilities of Development

TLDR

Mining activity has grown dramatically in many developing countries over the past decade and a half. The article reviews recent mining trends and the debates and conflicts they have triggered. The authors examine evidence on the resource‑curse debate, extraction‑led development, and describe various forms of resistance and social mobilization to mining expansion, assessing their impact on mining–political economic relations. The study concludes that protests may help escape the resource curse and outlines implications for research and policy.

Abstract

ABSTRACT The last decade and a half has witnessed a dramatic growth in mining activity in many developing countries. This article reviews these recent trends and describes the debates and conflicts they have triggered. The authors review evidence regarding debates on the resource curse and the possibility of an extraction‐led pathway to development. They then describe the different types of resistance and social mobilization that have greeted mineral expansion at a range of geographical scales, and consider how far these protests have changed the relationships between mining and political economic change. The conclusions address how far such protests might contribute to an ‘escape’ from the resource curse, and consider implications for research and policy agendas.