International experience in institutional support for geological study and use of subsoil

Abstract

Relevance. Mineral resource management is key to the mining industry’s contribution to the sustainable development of countries by ensuring that citizens receive maximum benefits from mineral development and extraction. The transformation of scarce resources into economic growth and social development is best achieved through their sustainable extraction and processing within the framework of effective policies set by the government and proper institutional support. On the other hand, ineffective management of mineral development, inflexible institutions and organizations that are not responsive to the needs of society can lead to a huge number of negative consequences. The need for a more in-depth study of the institutional basis that ensures efficient subsoil use determined the choice of the topic of this article. The purpose of the work is to analyze international experience in institutional support for geological study and use of subsoil. Methods. In the process of research, general scientific and special methods of scientific knowledge were used, namely: analysis and synthesis, comparison, systematization, generalization, grouping, abstraction. Results of work and its scope. In the course of the study, the theoretical essence of the concept of “institutional support for subsoil use” was considered. Based on the study of international experience, two types of models for organizing the institutional environment in the field of study and use of natural resources have been identified: active and passive. The article pays detailed attention to the active model, considers its subject composition and highlights its distinctive features. Using the examples of Romania, Sweden and Mexico, the features of the implementation of the active model in practice are analyzed. The results obtained can be used by the country’s government agencies to improve management institutions in the field of subsoil use. Conclusion. The variety of public subsoil management systems used by different countries of the world makes it possible to enrich knowledge in this industry and identify the best practices in the application of methods and mechanisms for managing the institutional support of geological subsoil research with a view to their possible adaptation to use in the Russian Federation.