Musical chairs: Analyzing the evolution of stakeholders in Peru's mining sector through dialogue tables

Abstract

Mining is an important but often contentious activity. Despite substantial research on mining dynamics and conflict, there has been less analysis of the stakeholders. This paper centers stakeholders and analyzes the case of Peru, asking: Who are the stakeholders in dialogues and conflicts around Peru's mining sector? How have stakeholders changed over time, and how do they vary across contexts? Drawing from reports of Peru's ombudsperson's office (Defensoría del Pueblo) from 2004 to 2019, we compiled a database of 321 cases in which dialogue tables had been established in response to mining conflicts, disputes, or for monitoring and communication. Dialogue tables had an average duration of 2.6 years and an average of 11.4 members, divided between central government, regional/local government, civil society/community, and miners. We differentiate central from regional and local governments to reflect the varied relationships to the mining sector. Central government agencies' participation in mining dialogue tables increased over our study period. The number of dialogue tables also increased during much of the study period, mirroring the trend in mineral prices. Although 64% of mining assets (mines/projects) in the database had only one dialogue table, some had up to 16. Large-scale mines had more, larger, and longer-lasting dialogue tables compared to medium, small, or artisanal mines. We suggest future directions to build from this database and results, as well as discussing limitations in the data and our analysis.