Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/161574 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2017/13
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
This paper investigates the relationship between mining and spatial inequality in Africa during 2001-12. The identification strategy is based on a unilateral causation between mining and district inequality. The findings show that when minerals are aggregated, mining increases district inequality. But an analysis of individual minerals shows that mining affects district inequality both positively and negatively, suggesting that mineral wealth can be both a curse and a blessing. Further analysis suggests that these results largely depend on whether mining is active or closed, the scale of mining operations, the value of minerals extracted, and the nature of mining activities - important dimensions for shaping mining policies aimed at bolstering socio-economic development in Africa.
Subjects: 
Mineral resources
mining
spatial inequality
Africa
JEL: 
D63
L71
L72
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9256-237-3
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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