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2021
The governance of Zimbabwe’s Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector : an actor-oriented approach
Titre : The governance of Zimbabwe’s Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector : an actor-oriented approach
Auteur : Ncube, Matthew
Université de soutenance : Wageningen University
Grade : Master of Science (MS) International Development Studies 2021
Résumé
In Zimbabwe, the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector remains the most
important source of employment and foreign currency flows due to an economic crisis that has
driven many people to the margins. This means that artisanal and small-scale miners play a
crucial role in the country’s economy. However, the ASGM sector remains largely informal or
at least semi-formalised making it an interesting study topic from the perspective of
governance. This study explores how this sector is governed at the local level using the
frameworks of street-level bureaucracy and negotiated governance. These frameworks are
complemented by Helmke and Levitsky (2004)’s typology of interactional relationships
between formal and informal institutions. The study is based on 32 interviews conducted with
participants comprising miners, local regulatory authorities, and NGOs/mining experts in
Gwanda and Matobo districts in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe.
The study finds that the major challenge with mining policies in Zimbabwe is that they remain
ambiguous and ill-adapted to the realities and dynamics of the ASGM sector. There is also poor
coordination and sometimes duplication of roles among the various mining regulatory
departments. Together, the ambiguous mining policies and poor coordination among the
regulatory authorities has resulted in quasi-formalisation strategies at the local level. These
arrangements are mediated by negotiations between the miners and local regulatory authorities
on the one hand, and among the state departments as they compete to govern the ASGM sector,
on the other hand. The formal governance of the ASGM sector is hindered by the prevalent
political culture of clientelism, widespread corruption and bribes which seem to form a stronger
regulatory system than formal rules. In this context, it is argued that street-level bureaucrats
do not have “substantial” discretion as often assumed. Rather, they have limited discretion due
to top-down policy pressures and the strong interests of political elites who covertly control the
ASGM sector.
Page publiée le 14 décembre 2021