Abstract

Natural resource extraction is a disruptive and inherently conflictual business. For the communities surrounding extractive operations, everything from livelihood opportunities to the visual landscape changes. For the mining company, costly business interruptions can occur when local populations take to the street over dashed expectations. To mitigate the risk of conflict and ensure operational stability, an increasing number of extractive companies seek a 'social license to operate' (SLO) from local communities. SLO theory posits that the quality of relations between the mining company ...