Community-company relations in gold mining in Ghana |
| |
Authors: | Garvin Theresa McGee Tara K Smoyer-Tomic Karen E Aubynn Emmanuel Ato |
| |
Institution: | Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, ESB 1-26, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E3. theresa.garvin@ualberta.ca |
| |
Abstract: | As a result of Structural Adjustment Programme from the 1980s, many developing countries have experienced an increase in resource extraction activities by international and transnational corporations. The work reported here examines the perceived impacts of gold mining at the community level in the Wassa West District of Ghana, Africa and discusses those perceived impacts in the context of globalization processes and growing multinational corporate interest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Interview data compared community members' perceptions with those of company representatives in three communities. The results indicate that communities held companies responsible for a series of economic, social, and environmental changes. While recognizing some of the benefits brought by the mines, communities felt that the companies did not live up to their responsibility to support local development. Companies responded by denying, dismissing concerns, or shifting blame. Findings from this work show that lack of engagement and action by government agencies at all levels resulted in companies acting in a surrogate governmental capacity. In such situations, managing expectations is key to community-company relations. |
| |
Keywords: | Gold Mining Community development Environmental impacts CSR Ghana |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|