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Environmental governance and political contestation in contexts of illegal small-scale gold mining in Ghana

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Abstract

Ghana experiences significant environmental harm from illegal small-scale gold mining. Despite government attempts to halt operations, countless sites exist around the country – enjoying local legitimacy, operating with seeming political impunity, and playing increasing roles in both local and national political economies. This article focuses on the environmental governance challenges and the underlying political organisational drivers, analysed from the perspectives of political settlement theory and contentious politics. This shows environmental governance challenges arising from the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) occupying an inferior position in relation to more powerful and competing state entities and endeavouring to fulfil mandates in highly contentious local social and political fields. Accordingly, we argue that challenges to environmental regulation are based in efforts to establish ruling coalition stability amidst fierce political and institutional competition, and which results in an informalisation of resource governance and lack of structural constraints on powerful actors.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer104221
TidsskriftGeoforum
Vol/bind160
Antal sider10
ISSN0016-7185
DOI
StatusUdgivet - mar. 2025

FN’s Verdensmål

Dette resultat bidrager til følgende verdensmål

  1. Verdensmål 6 - Rent vand og sanitet
    Verdensmål 6 Rent vand og sanitet
  2. Verdensmål 12 - Ansvarligt forbrug og produktion
    Verdensmål 12 Ansvarligt forbrug og produktion
  3. Verdensmål 16 - Fred, retfærdighed og stærke institutioner
    Verdensmål 16 Fred, retfærdighed og stærke institutioner

Emneord

  • Environmental governance
  • Illegal small-scale gold mining
  • Political settlements
  • Informalisation
  • Ghana
  • Contentious politics

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