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How much do artisanal miners earn? An inquiry among Congolese gold miners

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  • Geenen, Sara
  • Stoop, Nik
  • Verpoorten, Marijke

Abstract

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is acknowledged to provide incomes to tens of millions of individuals around the world, yet systematic data on miners' earnings are lacking. We developed a sampling method and survey tools suited for systematic data collection and applied it to a stratified random sample of 453 miners in the largest mining town in Congo's South Kivu province. Our research design allows us to study how much artisanal gold miners earn, and what determines their earnings. In doing so, we assess the financial attractiveness of artisanal mining, and uncover whether earnings from artisanal mining are merit-based, i.e. determined by experience, expertise and risk-taking behavior, or identity-based. This allows us to test the claim that artisanal mining has a social-levelling effect.

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  • Geenen, Sara & Stoop, Nik & Verpoorten, Marijke, 2021. "How much do artisanal miners earn? An inquiry among Congolese gold miners," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:70:y:2021:i:c:s0301420720309247
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2020.101893
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    2. Goetz, Julian M., 2022. "What do we know about rural and informal non-farming labour? Evidence from a mixed methods study of artisanal and small-scale mining in Northwest Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

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