Buying into formalization? State institutions and interlocked markets in African small-scale gold mining

Reassembling informal gold‑mining for development and sustainability? Opportunities and limits to formalisation in India, Indonesia and Laos

“…Fold et al (2014) elaborate on the complex geographical co-production of formal and informal gold value chains. A key implication of their analysis is that any formalisation program would need to be based upon a clear understanding of the socio-spatial organisation of both formal and informal gold value chains, examining how and where these merge into a single marketing chain, and tracing through how certain gold commodity markets can lock in exploitative labour arrangements and poor environmental practices.…”

Precarious work or sustainable livelihoods? Aligning Prestea's Programme with the development dialogue on artisanal and small‐scale mining

“…The expansion of 'galamsey' in Ghana has been characterized by two significant features. First, there is virtually a volatile expansion in space and number of people engaged in the operation (Fold et al, 2014). The main cause of this expansion is poor government coordination and regulation (Corbett et al, 2017).…”

“…The difference between registered artisanal miners and 'galamsey' operators is usually hard to establish since many registered persons continue to carry out illegal operations through informal exporters and intermediary buyers (Patel et al, 2016). This can be explained in the context of mining on land not approved for the operators, but with intertwined trading channels (Fold et al, 2014).…”

Successful airborne mercury reductions in Colombia

“…Miners are often operating informally, often in part because they lack the organization and technical ability to apply for legal mining title and environmental licenses (Fold et al 2014, Veiga et al 2014b, Verbrugge et al 2015, thus preventing them from entering the formal economy and investing in cleaner technologies. Although simple, relatively inexpensive and rudimentary methods can improve both gold recovery and reduce contamination, miners have little access to technical assistance and are reluctant to change their methods without direct evidence that new methods will be effective with their ore.…”