Document Type
Report/Policy Paper
Publication Date
7-2016
Abstract
Employment creation is often seen as a key benefit of investment in natural resources. However, this benefit sometimes falls short: job estimates may be inflated, governmental policies may fail to maximize employment generation, and, in some cases, investments may lead to net livelihood losses. A more thorough examination of employment tied to mining and agricultural investments is thus useful for assessing whether and how employment from natural resource investments contributes to sustainable economic development – a particularly timely topic as countries consider how they will achieve the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015.
This report aims to clarify the processes and impacts of job creation driven by large-scale mining and agricultural investments, and to suggest how policies can improve employment outcomes. A deeper understanding of the topic helps policymakers, citizens, and others assess employment claims made in the context of investment in mining or large-scale agricultural projects. It also presents governments with a difficult task: developing approaches that are aligned with best practices but fine-tuned to local contexts, and which improve the direct, indirect, and induced job creation outcomes of investments while addressing the disparate needs and expectations of both investors and citizens. Although complicated, such efforts are important for ensuring that the expected employment benefits of such investments do indeed materialize.
Disciplines
Agriculture Law | Environmental Law | Human Rights Law | International Humanitarian Law | International Law | Labor and Employment Law | Land Use Law | Law | Law and Economics | Natural Resources Law | Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law | Securities Law | Transnational Law
Recommended Citation
Kaitlin Y. Cordes, Olle Östensson & Perrine Toledano,
Employment from Mining and Agricultural Investments: How Much Myth, How Much Reality?,
(2016).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/sustainable_investment_staffpubs/88
Executive Summary
Included in
Agriculture Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, International Humanitarian Law Commons, International Law Commons, Labor and Employment Law Commons, Land Use Law Commons, Law and Economics Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, Securities Law Commons, Transnational Law Commons