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A behavioral model of collective action in artisanal and small-scale gold mining

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  • Saldarriaga-Isaza, Adrián
  • Arango, Santiago
  • Villegas-Palacio, Clara

Abstract

There is a rising global concern about mercury use in small-scale gold mining because of its harmful effects on ecosystems and human health. Associative entrepreneurship has been promoted as a way of accessing alternative techniques to address this concern. By associative entrepreneurship, in this paper we mean the creation of local associations between small-scale gold miners in order to acquire more environmentally-friendly technologies. We built a behavioral simulation model to assess the feasibility of associative entrepreneurship in the context of the public-good dilemma that gold mining communities face. The model construction is based on results from field economic experiments, and properly replicates the observed behavioral patterns; thus, it reveals that sustained collective action is possible when miners completely understand the social dilemma they face, but that self-organization is not possible. Features such as reciprocity and temptation to free ride partially explain why self-organization fails. In such a case, external intervention has a key role in promoting programs that improve the understanding of the social dilemma faced by artisanal and small-scale gold miners.

Suggested Citation

  • Saldarriaga-Isaza, Adrián & Arango, Santiago & Villegas-Palacio, Clara, 2015. "A behavioral model of collective action in artisanal and small-scale gold mining," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 98-109.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:112:y:2015:i:c:p:98-109
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.02.002
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    2. Bacq, Sophie & Hertel, Christina & Lumpkin, G.T., 2022. "Communities at the nexus of entrepreneurship and societal impact: A cross-disciplinary literature review," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(5).

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