| 1. |
- Avango, Dag, et al.
(author)
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The making and re-making of high modernist towns in the Circumpolar North
- 2022
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article we explore the fate of high modernist architecture and settlement planning in the North, through the lens of mining towns in Sweden and Quebec. After WW2, cities across the world were subject to a wave of restructuring in accordance with high modernist ideals. The circumpolar north became the subject of some of the most radical examples, often described as utopian. In the Swedish Arctic, a renowned architect Ralph Erskine played a leading role. He combined functionalist principles, with ideas of creating settlements protecting inhabitants from harsh Arctic conditions, in harmony with the environment. Erskine...s ideas were implemented to a different extent in Kiruna and Svappavaara in north Sweden in the 1960's and in Fermont, Quebec, in the early 1970's. Our aim is to understand the challenges of creating industrial settlements in the Arctic, with the capacity to attract employees that are needed for resource extraction and other industries. While Erskine's architecture in Svappavaara and Kiruna will be demolished, the wall shaped town in Fermont is still intact and expanding. By comparing and highlighting differences, we call attention to the threat of demolition of legacies of an era that has yet to be defined as cultural heritage.
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| 2. |
- Bruno, Karl
(author)
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The Technopolitics of Swedish Iron Mining in Cold War Liberia, 1950–1990
- 2020
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 7:1, s. 39-49
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Earlier research on Cold War resource politics has not focused significantly on the interests of smaller, non-colonial industrialized states. This paper examines the iron mining company LAMCO in Liberia, dominated strategically and operationally by Swedish actors and interests, between the mid-1950s and the late 1980s. It argues that the creation of LAMCO must be understood in the context of the early Cold War and its international politics, and that the enterprise's subsequent development was characterized by a specific technopolitical dynamic resulting from the encounter between the Liberian government's development strategy and the Swedish investors' need to mitigate political risks both in Liberia and at home. The findings help clarify the conditions under which actors from an ostensibly non-aligned and non-colonial country could gain access to minerals in Africa. They also contribute to our understanding of iron mining in Liberian political history, showing how LAMCO developed in close association with particular developmental policies in Liberia that sought to promote national development while simultaneously increasing the power of the Liberian presidency. Though it initially served this purpose successfully, its operations also generated a string of unexpected outcomes that eventually made the company a serious problem for the Liberian government.
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| 3. |
- Eadson, Will, et al.
(author)
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Decarbonising industry : A places-of-work research agenda
- 2023
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 15
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Deep decarbonisation of extractive and foundational industries will involve widespread social and economic change. Research on previous industrial restructuring has demonstrated that resultant changes will be geographically uneven, especially without countervailing state intervention. Such change has been shown to matter for both the nature and location of work in those industries as well as for the wider wellbeing of places. Concentrations of economic activity create place-based economic and sociocultural dependencies. As such in-dustries and industrial work often become entwined with workers' and communities' cultural identities. It is important to understand implications of industrial change for work, for place, and - as we argue here - relations between work and place. Building from a semi-systematic review of existing literature on industrial decarbon-isation, work and place, we extend prevailing political economic approaches to economic change, to also set out an original approach to decarbonising extractive and foundational industries, which we term 'places-of-work'. This approach is embedded in acknowledgement of the deep economic and cultural relations between work and place, which also plays out in processes of industrial decarbonisation. The approach builds from cultural and feminist approaches to economic change to emphasise sets of interrelations important to study of industrial decarbonisation as geographic phenomenon. Such an approach means extending the role of the state not as solely, or even primarily, focused on provision of training or employment opportunities, but as requiring adoption of a place-based approach to remaking economic and cultural characteristics of a location and its people. In setting out our alternative agenda, we seek to develop new insights that enable us to understand how industrial transitions potentially act within, and impact upon, places and their cultural identities, and the role of the state in reinforcing and disrupting these to support just transitions.
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| 4. |
- Endl, Andreas, et al.
(author)
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Drawing lessons from mineral and land use policy in Europe: Crossing policy streams or getting stuck in silos?
- 2023
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : ELSEVIER SCI LTD. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While mineral resource extraction is a contested land-use under increased societal scrutiny, it is tremendously important for clean energy transition and societal economic development. Despite increased demand, access to mineral resources is, however, subject to different stakeholder interests often reflected in competing forms of land-use and institutional complexity of two policy streams of minerals and land use planning. During the last decade public policy responses in Europe introduced new instruments such as protection of minerals deposits or valorisation schemes for minerals development, both aiming to link or integrate these two policy streams. While policy studies focus on the mineral and geological background, they lack the contextualisation in the broader (land-) policy and governance discourse. This article closes this gap and contributes to the interface between mineral resources, land policy and spatial planning. It provides insights into 1) what policy instruments are assembled to policy mixes for integrating minerals and land use planning policy, and (ii) in how far these instruments are fit for purpose in the respective land-use planning system. In our analysis we portray the diversity of policy instruments to better integrate policy domains of mineral and LUP, but are only deployed in a 13 European countries. The instruments are assembled to policy mixes combining regulatory, strategies and guidelines, as well as information-based or voluntary instruments with horizontal policy integration representing on average high degrees of integration compared to vertical integration. Considering diversity of European planning systems and different context of mineral resource challenges, we conclude that it is the "contextual match" of what (instruments) works where (land use planning system) that matters. In our research we clearly indicate this contextual match on two levels: First a planning system and decision-making match for vertical integration, and, second, a policy cycle match for horizontal integration, where minerals or LUP topics/issues, respectively, are considered in preparation or design stage of land-use plans, zoning documents or mineral planning documents. For policy decision-makers the array of identified instruments provides solutions fitting to different socio-spatial contexts of mineral and Land use planning policy as well as different planning systems.
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| 5. |
- Ghorbani, Yousef, et al.
(author)
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Framework components for data-centric dry laboratories in the minerals industry : A path to science-and-technology-led innovation
- 2022
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 10
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The world continues to experience a surge in data generation and digital transformation. Historic data is increasingly being replaced by modernized data, such as big data, which is regarded as data that exhibits the 5Vs: volume, variety, velocity, veracity and value. The capacity to optimally use and comprehend value from big data has become an indispensable aptitude for modern companies. In contrast to commercial and technology firms, usage, management and governance of data, including big data is a novel and evolving trend for mining and mineral industries. Although the mining industry can be unenthusiastic to change, embracing modernized data and big data is evolutionarily unavoidable, given many industry-wide challenges (i.e., fluctuation in commodity prices, geotechnical and harsh ground conditions, and ore grade), which corrode revenues and increase business risks, including the possibility of regulatory non-compliance. The minerals industry holds a genuine gold mine of data that were collected for scientific, engineering, operational and other purposes. Data and data-centric workspaces that are targeted towards innovation and experimentation, which if combined with in-discipline expertise are two harmonious ingredients that can provide many practical solutions for the mining and mineral industries. In this paper, the concept, the opportunity and the necessity for a move towards a technology- and innovation-based, data-centric ‘dry laboratories’ (common workspaces that facilitates data-centric experimentation and innovation) in the minerals industry are assessed. We contend that the dry laboratory environment maximizes the value of data for the minerals industry. Toward the establishment of dry laboratories, we propose several essential components of a framework that would enable the functionality of dry laboratories in the minerals industry, while concomitantly examining the components from both academia and industry perspectives.
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| 6. |
- Gugerell, Katharina, et al.
(author)
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Regional implementation of a novel policy approach : The role of minerals safeguarding in land-use planning policy in Austria
- 2020
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 7:1, s. 87-96
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The sustainable supply of raw materials to an expanding global population and rising consumption requires novel governance approaches. Such approaches have recently come to include the topic of ‘minerals safeguarding’. In Austria, the objective of minerals safeguarding has translated into an internationally recognised policy instrument, the Austrian Raw Materials Plan. Our paper investigates how the novel policy approach of safeguarding is translated into provincial and regional land use planning policy in Austria. Following a comparative approach of nine Austrian provinces via document analysis and interviews with policy makers, the analysis indicates diverse forms of implementation: We identify different degrees of uptake and implementation in land use planning policy across goals, instruments and mechanisms. Given the limited amount of research about safeguarding, this paper contributes to a broader understanding of safeguarding practices in public policy (goals, process and instruments), offers insights of’ strong, mixed, and soft’ safeguarding approaches, and provides input for a conceptual model of safeguarding. Our study highlights the importance of political agenda setting for the deployment of land use planning instruments, the need for coordination and communication (between and amongst different levels of government) in the policy process, and a need to assess effectiveness of safeguarding policies.
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| 7. |
- Gustafsson, Maria-Therese, 1979-, et al.
(author)
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Unpacking the extractivist state : The role of weak state agencies in promoting institutional change in Peru
- 2019
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 6:1, s. 206-214
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- When a resource boom has begun it is often challenging to develop institutions for governing natural resources in an inclusive and sustainable manner. Whereas existing studies on resource-rich states have focused on political elites or social mobilization for explaining attempts to strengthen such institutions, we know less about the role of less influential reform-oriented agencies (e.g. environmental agencies, subnational governments), and what explains how and why on rare occasions they are surprisingly effective in driving institutional change. Theoretically, we draw on theories on institutional weakness and change. Based on 139 interviews, we analyze the outcomes of different strategies adopted by the Peruvian Environmental Ministry (MINAM) to enforce a participatory zoning and land-use planning (LUP) reform between 2008 and 2016. We argue that weak agencies are dependent upon strategic ability, here referring to the skill of an agency to adapt its strategies to reigning political opportunities, thereby contributing to defending or expanding its autonomy vis-á-vis powerful groups and building alliances with societal actors that could defend it from opponents. By unpacking the dynamics within a resource-rich state, we contribute with a nuanced analysis of the challenges of building and effectively enforcing institutions in a context of expanding extractive industries.
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| 8. |
- Haikola, Simon, 1982-, et al.
(author)
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Swedish mineral policy at a crossroads? : Critical reflections on the challenges with expanding Sweden’s mining sector
- 2016
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 3:2, s. 508-516
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we analyse the critique that has accompanied sustained efforts made in recent years by the Government of Sweden to facilitate global investment in the country's mining sector. The minerals market in the 21st century has been characterized by increasing global prices. In Sweden, the largest mining nation within the EU, this has led to what has been identified as a mining boom. The governmental mining policy, aimed at attracting an increasing part of the global venture capital seeking to profit from the volatile but lucrative minerals market, has been met with growing domestic resistance, fuelled by what has been perceived as dangers and side effects of a rapidly expanding Swedish mining industry. This resistance has largely focused on the mineral strategy launched by the government in 2013, as it crystallized the neoliberal ideas judged by critics to severely jeopardize social, cultural, economic and environmental values. After a critical analysis of the mineral strategy, we go on to analyse the mining-critical discourse, concluding with a discussion where we highlight the main implications of the analysis and identify a possible path for compromise between proponents and opponents of the mineral strategy.
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| 9. |
- Heimann, Samuel, et al.
(author)
-
Gender in industrial mine work and organizations. A review of an expanding research field
- 2023
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 16
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article reviews the expanding research field of gender in industrial mine work and organizations. The findings show that the literature provides nuanced insights into the prevalence of men and masculinities in industrial mine work as related to masculine mining ideals and patriarchal family structures, gendered practices and processes within mining organizations, the strategies of marginalized identities, and counterproductive attempts to increase equality and diversity in mining. Signs of potential change were also identified in the form of empowered women in mining and alternative mining masculinities. Articles focused on women and mining in specific organizations and national contexts dominate the field, with a more heterogeneous array of articles that empirically and theoretically expand on the earlier literature. Few studies elaborate on intersectionality, various forms of masculinity and the doing of gender within various professions and occupations in mining organizations. Future research should expand the theoretical framework of gender in mining organizations and broaden its empirical base through comparative approaches, quantitative and mixed methodologies, and a renewed focus on the dominant group in mining organizations, i.e., men.
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| 10. |
- Kløcker Larsen, Rasmus, et al.
(author)
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Do voluntary corporate actions improve cumulative effects assessment? Mining companies' performance on Sami lands
- 2018
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In: The Extractive Industries and Society. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-790X .- 2214-7918. ; 5:3, s. 375-383
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cumulative effects assessment (CEA) remains an Achilles heel in the licensing of mining projects on indigenous lands globally, but especially in the European North. Yet, rather than legislating on indigenous rights and CEA failures, governments tend to rely on companies to mitigate cumulative impacts through new corporate social responsibility actions. This paper considers if these voluntary actions improve companies' CEA performance and so provide grounds for indigenous communities and decision makers to trust the industry more. Findings are presented from a systematic review of corporate impact assessments for 56 mining concession permit applications on Sami lands in Sweden. We show how companies that adopt additional voluntary measures provide somewhat richer assessments. Overall, however, the performance remains poor also for 'frontrunners', with persistent lack of clarity on methods and limited analysis of consequences, social and cultural impacts and interactions with other (past, present or future) projects. We conclude that progress in voluntary actions in regard to assessing cumulative impacts has only led to cosmetic improvements in CEA performance. We therefore argue for stronger regulatory role of government and recognition of the right of indigenous communities to lead or co-manage impact assessments on their own lands.
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