Artisanal mining policy development

Abstract Millions of people are involved in artisanal mining. High prices for certain commodities attract people. The conditions under which they operate are rarely conducive to health, environmental quality or social justice. Addressing some of the many challenges facing both the miners, their families and their national hosts involves addressing the regulatory conditions of artisanal miners. Regulatory change involves analysis of current policy and adoption of changes to it. The ultimate goal of a more sustainable artisanal mining sector can be achieved by a cascade of changes to policy and practices in each jurisdiction starting with property rights and encompassing also issues of efficiency, formalization (of the property rights), human resources, externalities, and rents. An operator of a small mine wants exact location for protecting his land from others; Lenders want to know location if they are to provide loans and use the deposit as collateral; Environmental regulators want to know who is engaged in what activity and where; Governments wants to know all of this information for revenue collection purposes as well as for regulation of externalities. Added to these already interrelated motives for what is generally described as formalization is a widespread belief that such a policy will aid the entrepreneurial opportunities available to artisanal miners.