What Gives You a Social Licence? An Exploration of the Social Licence to Operate in the Australian Mining Industry
This article analyses the ways in which major, multinational mining companies operating within Australia understand sustainable development and articulate their “social licence to operate”. The article contributes a novel perspective to ongoing discussions about the social licence by exploring the w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2014-01-01
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| Series: | Resources |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/3/1/62 |
| _version_ | 1798027055143583744 |
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| author | Sara Bice |
| author_facet | Sara Bice |
| author_sort | Sara Bice |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article analyses the ways in which major, multinational mining companies operating within Australia understand sustainable development and articulate their “social licence to operate”. The article contributes a novel perspective to ongoing discussions about the social licence by exploring the ways in which leading Australian mining companies define and assert their social licences through sustainable development discourse. A content and discourse analysis of 18 sustainability reports across a four year period, supplemented by qualitative interview data, draws out these issues. While most companies use these reports to confirm beliefs in the necessity of a social licence, the ways in which the licence is specifically defined and maintained are not generally made explicit. Additionally, key theoretical criteria required for a social licence, such as free, prior and informed consent, appear to be overlooked. In conclusion, the article suggests ways in which criteria for a social licence within the mining industry could be defined more clearly and raises consequent questions to shape future research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:45:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-566ce795b02a45efad3f42fe3bcbf7a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:45:06Z |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Resources |
| spelling | doaj.art-566ce795b02a45efad3f42fe3bcbf7a92022-12-22T04:08:50ZengMDPI AGResources2079-92762014-01-0131628010.3390/resources3010062resources3010062What Gives You a Social Licence? An Exploration of the Social Licence to Operate in the Australian Mining IndustrySara Bice0Centre for Public Policy, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, AustraliaThis article analyses the ways in which major, multinational mining companies operating within Australia understand sustainable development and articulate their “social licence to operate”. The article contributes a novel perspective to ongoing discussions about the social licence by exploring the ways in which leading Australian mining companies define and assert their social licences through sustainable development discourse. A content and discourse analysis of 18 sustainability reports across a four year period, supplemented by qualitative interview data, draws out these issues. While most companies use these reports to confirm beliefs in the necessity of a social licence, the ways in which the licence is specifically defined and maintained are not generally made explicit. Additionally, key theoretical criteria required for a social licence, such as free, prior and informed consent, appear to be overlooked. In conclusion, the article suggests ways in which criteria for a social licence within the mining industry could be defined more clearly and raises consequent questions to shape future research.http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/3/1/62social licence to operateminingsustainable developmentsustainability reports |
| spellingShingle | Sara Bice What Gives You a Social Licence? An Exploration of the Social Licence to Operate in the Australian Mining Industry Resources social licence to operate mining sustainable development sustainability reports |
| title | What Gives You a Social Licence? An Exploration of the Social Licence to Operate in the Australian Mining Industry |
| title_full | What Gives You a Social Licence? An Exploration of the Social Licence to Operate in the Australian Mining Industry |
| title_fullStr | What Gives You a Social Licence? An Exploration of the Social Licence to Operate in the Australian Mining Industry |
| title_full_unstemmed | What Gives You a Social Licence? An Exploration of the Social Licence to Operate in the Australian Mining Industry |
| title_short | What Gives You a Social Licence? An Exploration of the Social Licence to Operate in the Australian Mining Industry |
| title_sort | what gives you a social licence an exploration of the social licence to operate in the australian mining industry |
| topic | social licence to operate mining sustainable development sustainability reports |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/3/1/62 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sarabice whatgivesyouasociallicenceanexplorationofthesociallicencetooperateintheaustralianminingindustry |