Change in rural livelihoods, do extractive industries make any difference.
Sustainable mining has become a paradigm that mobilizes companies, governments and community groups. The struggles between an expansive mining sector and a significant part of the rural population for access and control of land and water show that the association between large-scale mining and rural livelihoods faces a number of challenges. This paper analyses changes in rural livelihoods associated with the expansion of mining in the Andes. Framed within the sustainable livelihoods approach and the role of institutions, in particular property rights, in development, it argues that: (i) change in livelihoods respond to a broad set of factors that include but are not limited to the influence of mining; (ii) the presence of mining accelerates such change and introduces inter-generational distribution effects; (iii) institutions governing land and water rights play a significant role in the power relationships between companies and communities. The paper concludes by suggesting a role for social policy and corporate social responsibility in supporting positive and sustainable changes of rural livelihoods.
- © Oxford University Press and Community Development Journal. 2013 All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
- Address for correspondence: Leonith Hinojosa, School of Environment and Development,University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK; email:leonith.hinojosa@manchester.ac.uk
Comments
Post a Comment