The Mining Industry and the Developing Countries

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how and what drives corporate social responsibility (CSR) in host communities of mining companies in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach To address this knowledge gap, this paper used Ghana as a test case and conducted 24 in-depth interviews with participants drawn from mining host communities. Findings The paper discovered that while CSR is broadly understood and encompasses six thematic categories in the mining host communities, there are emphases on philanthropic and environmental responsibilities. Contrary to the evidence found in other studies, this paper discovered that CSR rhetoric plays a more positive/significant role than so far explored in CSR research, as it incentivizes the host communities to push for the fulfilment of their CSR expectations and/or CSR initiatives proposed by mining companies. Research limitations/implications Quantitative studies are needed to strengthen the findings from the present paper. Practical implications Because developing countries share similar socio-economic and geo-political realities, the findings of this paper may be applicable not only for CSR advocates, but also for policy-makers in developing countries. Originality/value The paper provides new inputs from a developing country perspective to the current debate about the CSR performance of the extractive industry.

Download Full-text

Understanding grand challenges in sustainability implementation within mining in developing countries

Social Business ◽

10.1362/204440820x15813359568309 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 123-149

Author(s):

Prince Amoah ◽

Gabriel Eweje ◽

Ralph Bathurst

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Mining Industry ◽

Sustainability Reporting ◽

Assessment Model ◽

Conceptual Foundation ◽

Social Challenges ◽

Theoretical Perspectives ◽

Robust Model ◽

Starting Point ◽

Sectoral Approach

Purpose First, this paper aims to define and interpret the social and environmental strands of sustainability, and analyse its implementation within the mining sectors of developed and developing countries. Second, we elaborate on stakeholder and institutional theoretical perspectives to propose a framework for sustainability implementation. Finally, we draw attention to the shortcomings in sustainability implementation within the mining industry in developing countries and stress a cross-sectoral approach to defining sustainable categories. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual foundation for effective sustainability implementation by discussing the interconnectivity and the reciprocal interactions between impact indicators and sustainable categories including climatic condition, terrestrial parameters, national regulations, and international mining standards. Findings Research results suggest that mining activities have created tensions between host communities and companies due to the finitude of the resources and the associated environmental and social challenges in developing countries. About 75% of mines close prematurely, leaving legacies of environmental and social costs in mining communities despite companies embracing sustainability practices. However, the authors provide promising evidence for the possibility of employing a cross-sectoral approach in sustainability implementation using holistic frameworks. Limitations The proposed cross-sectoral model presented here is only a starting point for further research in developing robust indicators and procedures for the approach. A consolidation of efforts by other researchers working on establishing holistic indicators for sustainability implementation may lead to a much more detailed and robust model. Implications This paper may improve sustainability reporting and practices of companies, relating to how an impact on a social or environmental category cascades down the entire mining industry, requiring a holistic assessment model and framework. Contribution The paper proposes a cross-sectoral model and suggests a framework which extends the boundaries of stakeholder and institutional theories and demonstrates how they combine in defining sustainable categories.

Download Full-text

The Mining Industry and the Developing Countries. By Rex Bosson and Bension Varon. Oxford: Oxford University Press for the World Bank, 1977. Pp. xii, 292. $13.95 cloth, $5.95 paper.

The Journal of Economic History ◽

10.1017/s0022050700105339 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 519-520

Author(s):

S. G. Checkland

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

World Bank ◽

Mining Industry ◽

Oxford University ◽

The World Bank ◽

The World ◽

Oxford University Press

Download Full-text

Mining and developing nations: does mining contribute to socioeconomic development?

Deakin Papers on International Business Economics ◽

10.21153/dpibe2014vol7no1art316 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Michael Huehne

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

World Bank ◽

Alternative Hypothesis ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Resource Curse ◽

Mining Industry ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Resource Exploitation ◽

The World Bank ◽

The World

The hypothesis that an active mining industry results in decreased economic benefits to developing countries has often been supported by the theory commonly referred to as the Resource Curse. Data from the World Bank provides some support to the argument that there is a negative relationship between natural resource exploitation and economic development, but more recently it appears this relationship does not hold true. With the advent of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development there is increasing evidence that affirms an alternate hypothesis; that an active mining industry results in increased socioeconomic benefits to developing countries. In order to test this hypothesis this study relies on analysis of macroeconomic data primarily obtained from the World Bank, and in order to analyse measures relating to social development and welfare, examination of alternative measures using the United Nations’ Human Development Index and Millennium Development Goals. Investigation, using a sub-group of sub-Saharan developing countries as the sample selection, supports the alternative hypothesis.

Download Full-text