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Pinning down the social license to operate (SLO): The problem of normative complexity

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  • Brueckner, Martin
  • Eabrasu, Marian

Abstract

The ‘social license to operate’ (SLO) concept, whilst ubiquitous in industry and academia, to this day, continues to defy clear definition. This ambiguity encourages the proliferation of conflicting claims to such a license and complicates the assessment of their legitimacy. Observing that a dimension of SLO's ambiguity is normative, this paper seeks to explore this normativity aspect further, with a view to discerning the disagreements on what makes an SLO legitimate and what delegitimizes it. The legitimacy gap in SLO discussions is illustrated in light of a case study from the Australian minerals and energy sector and explained in the context of the normative complexity surrounding the SLO construct, which seems to limit the transferability of findings from the growing number of SLO studies. As possible means for addressing this normative complexity the conceptual widening, approximation and standardization of the SLO are proposed in an attempt to overcome the stalemate resulting from competing social license claims and social license interpretations.

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  • Brueckner, Martin & Eabrasu, Marian, 2018. "Pinning down the social license to operate (SLO): The problem of normative complexity," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 217-226.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:59:y:2018:i:c:p:217-226
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2018.07.004
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    Cited by:

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    8. Yıldız, Taşkın Deniz & Kural, Orhan, 2020. "The effects of the mining operation activities permit process on the mining sector in Turkey," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    9. Woźniak, Justyna & Jurczyk, Weronika, 2020. "Social and environmental activities in the Polish mining region in the context of CSR," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    10. Carlos Villanueva, 2019. "Anuario iberoamericano en Derecho de la Energía. Vol. II, Regulación de la transición Energética," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Derecho, number 1131, October.
    11. Haslam, Paul Alexander, 2021. "The micro-politics of corporate responsibility: How companies shape protest in communities affected by mining," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    12. Amoako, Kwame Oduro & Lord, Beverley R. & Dixon, Keith, 2021. "Narrative accounting for mining in Ghana: An old defence against a new threat?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    13. António Mateus & Luís Martins, 2021. "Building a mineral-based value chain in Europe: the balance between social acceptance and secure supply," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 34(2), pages 239-261, July.
    14. Luis Ferney Moreno Castillo & Carlos Villanueva, 2019. "Anuario iberoamericano en Derecho de la Energía. Vol. II, Regulación de la transición Energética," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Derecho, number 1142, October.
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    16. Santiago, Ana Lúcia & Demajorovic, Jacques & Rossetto, Dennys Eduardo & Luke, Hanabeth, 2021. "Understanding the fundamentals of the Social Licence to Operate: Its evolution, current state of development and future avenues for research," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

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