Impact Benefit Agreements in Critical Mineral Mining: A Typology and Analysis

As global demand for critical minerals rises with the clean energy transition, mining expansion is intensifying environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and pressures on affected communities. Impact benefit agreements (IBAs) – negotiated between mining companies and local communities – merit attention as an emerging governance solution. IBAs can mitigate project impacts, distribute benefits, and support more sustainable and equitable outcomes for communities. They may also reduce broader political and economic risks associated with the resource curse. Despite this potential, the absence of a clear typology of such agreements and analysis of their contents limits efforts to understand how IBAs can address ESG challenges. To address this gap, we compile a novel global dataset of 27 publicly available critical mineral mining IBAs. Building on this dataset and literature on public and private governance, we develop a typology that positions such IBAs along a spectrum from private to quasi-public governance mechanisms. We apply the typology to our dataset and describe agreement types and features. Our article offers researchers and policymakers a roadmap to understand critical mineral mining IBA types and features, supporting policy applications and further research into their role in facilitating energy transition, mitigating the resource curse, and bolstering environmental and human security.