The formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining: Taking stock and charting the future

Abstract

We are delighted to introduce this special issue, the purpose of which is to develop a deeper understanding of the operational outcomes of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) industry. Each of the articles in the collection contributes important insights to our understanding of the dynamics of ASM operations and, collectively, they provide important benchmarks for subsequent research on this phenomenon. In different ways, they explore how different stakeholders and institutions shape the ASM space and influence outcomes despite the existence of formal rules and structures meant to formally regulate ASM operations. In doing so, they shed considerable light on how formalisation mechanisms can shape – or fail to shape – the ASM world in which both formal and informal operators exist.