Mining and linkages for economic transformation: Revealing multi-stakeholder perspectives through Q-methodology

Abstract

One of the ways that resource-rich African countries (RRACs) seek to leverage mining for economic transformation is through creating a policy environment suitable for promoting linkages between mining and host economies. RRACs have focused on increasing government revenues through fiscal policies and purchasing goods and services locally through local content policies. An evolving literature suggests that these policy interventions have delivered mixed outcomes. This paper sets out to capture and understand stakeholder perspectives with respect to three research questions: (1) what are the main problems preventing RRACs from building linkages between the mining and other economic sectors? (2) what are the key conditions for leveraging mining linkages for broad-based economic transformation? and (3) can these conditions be created and, if so, how? A Q-methodology analysis involving 46 statements and 66 participants was undertaken, which revealed three shared perspectives that stress the need for redefined context-specific industrial policies and the development of infrastructure, knowledge-based assets, and supplier capacities to enable inter-sectoral linkages that promote economic transformation. The research offers insights on the key areas of consensus and dissensus amongst multi-stakeholder groups with respect to the state of, the barriers to, and the conditions for transformative linkage building in RRACs.