This paper examines irregular South-South migration from China to Ghana, and the role it has played in transforming livelihoods and broader developmental landscapes. It looks at the entry from the mid-2000s of approximately 50,000 Chinese migrants into the small-scale gold mining sector. They...

This paper examines irregular South-South migration from China to Ghana, and the role it has played in transforming livelihoods and broader developmental landscapes. It looks at the entry from the mid-2000s of approximately 50,000 Chinese migrants into the small-scale gold mining sector. They...

Mali’s gold sector is an enclave with weak forward and backward linkages with the rest of the economy. Given the predominance of the fiscal transmission channel, it is important that the design of the mineral tax regime gives the state a fair share of the benefits. Using optimal control...

This paper argues that actions of large-scale mining companies at the early stages of a mining project establish a legacy which sets the tone for that mine's long-term relationship with the local artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) stakeholders. This paper compares the experiences of Gold...

Small scale coal mines (SCMs) have played an important role in China’s energy supply. At the same time, they also suffer from many social, economic, environmental, and safety problems. The Chinese government has made considerable efforts to strengthen the safety regulation of the coal mining...

This paper contributes to the debate on child labor in small-scale mining communities, focusing specifically on the situation in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that the child labor now widespread in many of the region’s small-scale mining communities is a product of a combination of cultural...

This study examines how shifting resource governance regimes affect labor inequities in the small-scale mining sector in Indonesia. It focuses on the implications of governance “decentralization” processes and mining regulation reforms for indigenous and migrant populations who rely on...

This paper argues that the current formalization system for small-scale gold miners in Ghana has been undermined and the small-scale mining laws no longer capture the reality of the sector’s activities. The paper will examine the small-scale mining system and shows that registered and...

The growth of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Guyana has received little attention in the literature, despite its rapid growth and now central importance in this small country's socioeconomic fortunes. Although the activity in Guyana shares commonalities with ASM activity elsewhere in...