From Stakeholder to Rightsholder – Principles of Inclusion and Participation in Mining Governance

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of participatory governance in mining and how stakeholder inclusion impacts mining project development. The article is based on a historical case study of mining licensing in Finland and the data includes archival materials, official documents, media texts, and supporting interviews. The article finds that the institutional complexity of the governance processes has increased throughout time as more permits, public institutions and rightsholder groups have been introduced as part of the licensing process. As the stakeholder inclusion has expanded to include virtually anyone, only those groups who hold a particular position by law are able to have meaningful participation and are included in the decisions. This has profound implications for the principles of participatory governance and stakeholder inclusion. These findings contribute to the stakeholder engagement literature by theorising upon the difference of rightsholding and stakeholding for inclusion and participation in governance processes and the role of state for provision of rights.