Meeting local community needs: The cases of iron ore mining in Sweden and South Africa

Evolutionary governance in mining: Boom and bust in peripheral communities in Sweden

“…In the mining industry, this has meant an added focus on company responsibility for the socio-economic and environmental effects of extraction (e.g. Corrigan, 2018;Dashwood, 2012;Tarras-Wahlberg, et al, 2017). Agreements between mining companies and local communities thereby come to be seen as a more or less private matter, albeit regulated to some extent through legislation.…”

“…If planning is viewed as the process of achieving political societal ideas and goals (e.g., Christoferson, 2000;Hermelin, 2005), then Swedish planning since the 1980s is premised on such goals being best achieved through market mechanisms. In this configuration, the state takes an indirect role, leaving investment decisions and issues of finance largely to be resolved through negotiations between municipalities, sub-state actors, and state actors, blurring the line between the public and the private sphere (Blücher & Graninger, 2006;Tarras-Wahlberg et al, 2017; see also Hajer, 2003;Skelcher, 2000;Perry, 2003). Therefore, municipalities are seen as autonomous actors participating in a market of free competition rather than sub-state institutions representing the state.…”

“…Although the municipality was required to negotiate with the company, it lacked the institutional capacity to wield adequate influence. Furthermore, by distancing itself from the local proceedings, the state not only put pressure on the local administration but also on the company, which found itself in the position of having to involve itself directly in the city transformation (Tarras-Wahlberg et al, 2017; see Barnett, 2003Barnett, , 2011Cheshire et al, 2014;Cheshire, 2010 for more on how deregulation shifts responsibility from governments to the private sector).…”

“…Like its neighbours, Norway and Finland, Sweden built its 20 th century welfare state to a large extent on extraction of minerals and natural resources, creating peripheral communities heavily dependent on resource extraction. As the industrial base and welfare provision system of the country has changed, these communities have been left increasingly exposed and vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the global market, as was evidenced by the mineral boom and bust cycle between 2006 and 2018 (Haikola & Anshelm, 2018;Rastad Bjørst, 2016;Similä & Jokinen, 2018;Tarras-Wahlberg et al, 2017).…”

Influence of Wind Direction on the Level of Trace Metals in Plants Collected around a Quarry Site in South Africa

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Over the past two centuries mining has been largely responsible for the improvement of the socioeconomic landscape of South Africa by growing the gross domestic product (GDP), boosting state revenue, foreign direct investment and generating employment [1, 2]. Despite the economic importance of mining to any nation, the consequences of its activities are borne directly by the ever-increasing populations and societies around the mining areas [3].Quarrying activity is a necessity that provides much of the materials used in traditional hard flooring, such as granite, limestone, marble, sandstone, slate and even ceramic tiles [4]. Quarrying activities such as rock breaking, grinding, and kiln operations are the primary sources of airborne pollutants (trace metals, particulate matters and other pollutants), which are often dispersed by wind to the surroundings and impact biotic and

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