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Contention and Ambiguity: Mining and the Possibilities of Development
Author(s) -
Bebbington Anthony,
Hinojosa Leonith,
Bebbington Denise Humphreys,
Burneo Maria Luisa,
Warnaars Ximena
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
development and change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-7660
pISSN - 0012-155X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7660.2008.00517.x
Subject(s) - resource curse , ambiguity , curse , politics , resource (disambiguation) , political science , resistance (ecology) , political change , political economy , development economics , positive economics , sociology , economics , law , biology , ecology , computer network , philosophy , linguistics , anthropology , computer science
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.