New political topographies. Mining companies and indirect discharge in Southern Katanga (DRC)

Abstract

Nouvelles topographies politiques. Entreprises minières et décharges indirectes au Sud du Katanga (RDC) Cet article entend analyser les reconfigurations actuelles du système politique en Afrique en étudiant la manière dont les multinationales gèrent la sécurité dans les régions minières de cuivre et de cobalt au Sud du Katanga (République démocratique du Congo – RDC). Ce texte cherche à démontrer que l’extension du rôle des entreprises dans la gestion du système politique au Sud du Katanga peut être interprétée comme une nouvelle forme de décharge indirecte effectuée par le pays d’accueil et par le pays d’origine de l’entreprise multinationale, pour externaliser, en grande partie, la gouvernance locale. Cela suggère des topographies politiques qui diffèrent de celles de la gestion de la sécurité par les entreprises au xix e et xx e siècles.

Business and Governance in South Africa

“…This might indicate that areas of limited statehood are likely to follow the trajectory of modern and shared statehood. At the same time, we also find evidence for business circumventing state actors or state authorities that seek to 'discharge' (Hönke 2010) rather than delegate the delivery of collective goods and services to firms, which could give rise to the emergence of a new variety of statehood. Finally, there may be instances in which neither state nor non-state actors are willing or able to take on the role of governance-managers, ensuring existing forms of limited statehood will probably prevail.…”

“…In spite of states' overall weak capacities, governments maintain the monopoly over symbolic capital and the legal authority to decide over mining rights. Contrary to arguments that interpret the rise of private actors in contemporary governance as a sign of the weakening power of central state authorities, the extended role of companies in local governance can be seen a form of 'indirect discharge' (Hönke 2010(Hönke , 2013. Governments of states with areas of limited statehood quasi-outsource local governance to companies and use corporate governance contributions to regain or strengthen control over regions and revenues from mining, thereby ensuring regime survival.…”

“…Apart from the overtly destructive role the state sometimes plays in the governance of contested issue areas, we also find examples of 'neopatrimonial collusion' (Hönke 2010). In fighting HIV/AIDS, MNCs in South Africa have to reach out to local governments.…”

“…The state is too weak to act as a 'governance-manager' (Genschel and Zangl 2008) coordinating the contributions of different governance actors and settling conflicts among them. Rather than providing such 'meta governance' (Peters 2010), state actors tend to employ the capacities they have left to compete with non-state actors, undermine their governance activities or seek to use them for their own benefit (Hönke 2010). If they are too weak, they are simply circumvented (Schäferhoff 2011) and contested (Köhler and Wilke 2011) by non-state actors, as companies did in South Africa in fighting HIV/AIDS.…”

Business for peace? The ambiguous role of ‘ethical’ mining companies

“…Moreover, elsewhere I have argued that companies have become part of a politics of 'indirect discharge' (Hönke 2010). In order to recapture rents from resource extraction, the second Kabila government centralizes access to concessions by giving them to multinational companies.…”