Research
My doctoral dissertation "Gendering Extractives: Three Essays on Mining, Poverty and Women in Africa" will be available in the fall!
Working Papers
The Local Effects of Large-Scale Mining on Migration Patterns in Africa
CES Working Paper
This study investigates the effects of large-scale mining activities on migration patterns in administrative units at the communal level in Africa. The empirical strategy follows a difference-in-differences approach, leveraging exogenous variation in international commodity prices. The main dataset geo-matches information on net migration rates at the communal level with data on mineral deposits across all African countries. The results shows that a one percent price increase leads to an increase of 1.2 net migrants per 1,000 people in administrative units located within 20 km of a mineral deposit. I find that these effects are very localized and primarily driven by a reduction in outflows of people. While international migration likely plays a role, I show that changes should be primarily attributed to internal migration. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the effects of mining activity differ across African regions and are stronger in heavily urbanized areas. Economic activity is proposed as the main explanatory mechanism.
African Mining Economies and The Gender Gap in Political Participation
With A. Benshaul-Tolonen and M. Konte.
SSRN Working Paper
There is a significant gender gap in political participation in Africa. Concurrently, many African economies are heavily reliant on traditionally male-dominated extractive industries. We investigate whether mining activities influence the gender gap in political participation at the local level using Afrobarometer data for 150,000 respondents with precise geo-located information on mining. The gender gap decreases across four dimensions of political participation in proximity of mining: the gap in discussing politics drops by 18.4\%, voting by 67\%, attending community meetings by 28\%, accepting women as leaders by 95\%. We detect no change in the gender gap in attending protests, although this gap does widen in high conflict areas. The results hold in a strictly exogenous identification strategy using international commodity prices, in areas with net inward, net outward, or net stable migration. We explore several mechanisms and find employment, but not community grievances or migration, to be a likely channel.
Publications
The Hustle Lifeways of Black Women in Mining-Affected Communities of South Africa
The Extractive Industries and Society, 2025
This study sets out to investigate the lived experiences of Black women living in South African communities affected by mining, specifically exploring how they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by large-scale resource extraction. To do so, the study introduces the concept of “hustle lifeways”. In the context of mining-affected communities, this term captures how small-scale, often informal, income-generating activities are embodied in Black women's experiences of large-scale mining. Data is collected through a three-months fieldwork period across six mining-affected communities located in different provinces of South Africa. Thematic analysis highlights three key dimensions of hustle lifeways, namely survival, autonomy and caregiving responsibilities. The analysis of these three themes evidences Black women's resourcefulness, while underscoring the numerous challenges posed to them by large-scale mining, particularly in terms of exclusion, heightened uncertainty and increased care work. The insights from this analysis contribute to the literature on mining and women in South Africa, which has predominantly focused on women employed in the sector, by offering a new perspective on the gendered dimensions of large-scale mining.
Gold and Diamond Artisanal Mining in Liberia: Under the Umbrella of (in)Formality?
With R. Bazillier and S. Jackson.
Resources Policy, 2023
Liberia intends to harness the development potential of artisanal mining through formalization. However, there are several obstacles that the country needs to overcome for it to succeed. The existing literature provides evidence on the challenges faced by miners and local authorities, but fails to make a distinction between different types of activities. This study sets out to identify differences in formalization patterns across the two largest artisanal sectors, namely gold and diamond mining. Drawing on an extensive survey of 231 communities and 174 mines in Gbarpolu County, we spatially match mining sites to their nearest license recorded in the country’s cadastre. To do so, we consider both distance to licenses and concentration of mines around titles before loosening the definition of formality by exploring town chiefs’ perceptions. We complement our spatial analysis with qualitative insights into miners’ views on the challenges and opportunities of artisanal gold versus diamond mining. Our findings show that artisanal diamond mines are more likely to fall under what we define as an “umbrella of formality” compared to gold mines. We explain this difference through geology, but also the history and perceptions of the respective minerals. Against this backdrop, we question the effectiveness of formalization as it is currently conceived in Liberia. We argue that distinguishing between artisanal mining sectors is important to understand the different sets of incentives and constraints that miners face. This, in turn, is key to the design of tailored and effective formalization policies.
Other Works
Descriptive Report - Myanmar Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Survey 2019
With H. Hansen, B. Sørensen, S. McGill, N. Trifković, J. Rand, F. Tarp, S. Myint, T. Zaw, K. Moe, P. Tun, M. Aung.
Myanmar Central Statistics Organization and UNU-WIDER Report, 2019
This report presents findings from the 2019 Myanmar Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Survey, the second quantitative report of the Myanmar Enterprises Monitoring System (MEMS) project. Implemented by the Central Statistical Organization with technical cooperation from UNU-WIDER and DERG, the survey examines business practices, production characteristics, access to finance, employment, and economic constraints faced by manufacturing enterprises in Myanmar. The report provides crucial data for assessing and implementing industrial policies, supporting the government's efforts to foster private sector development and economic growth. Data collected in 2017 and 2019 provides longitudinal insights into enterprise performance and the evolving business environment.