ABSTRACT
Mining development has had a long history of conflict. In the 1990s, studies began to suggest how mine-community relations could be improved with early attention given to CSR and the pursuit of a SLO. In this chapter, authors begin with a brief review of the grounds for mining conflict and suggestions for improvements in the behaviours of firms. It then focuses on exploring ways communities view their relationships with the mining sector, particularly in the period when CSR and SLO became centre pieces in the debate over community-mine relationships. The chapter reviews examples and examines their often-ambiguous outcomes. It concludes that the literature offers only limited evidence of success from the community perspective. While much is promised, and some has been delivered, success remains elusive. It also finds that these ambiguous results can be explained by several factors: the inconsistent behaviours of companies, the offer of culturally or developmentally inappropriate programs, the diversity of goals found within communities; and the unanticipated and unpredictable impacts of mining that outstrip the capacity of communities to adapt. Even with the help of ameliorative programs from companies and governments intended to compensate for such disturbances, the overall impact of mining developments for communities is questionable even when CSR is practiced, and social license is achieved.
