nep-min New Economics Papers
on Mining
Issue of 2025–12–22
six papers chosen by
Peter Newton Bell


  1. Green extractivism in Colombia: a scoping review on indigenous rights and livelihood impacts, and policy and social movement responses By Cabana, Gabriela; Richter, Katharina
  2. Unravelling India's E-Waste Supply Chain: A Comprehensive Analysis and Mapping of the Key Agents Involved By Amrita Golda; Kartik Nair; Md Sarwar Ali; Ritika Verma
  3. Predicting the Emergence of the EV Industry: A Product Space Analysis Across Regions and Firms By Katharina Ledebur; Ladislav Bartuska; Klaus Friesenbichler; Peter Klimek
  4. Mining Exploration Business Strategy around Logging Roads By Bell, Peter
  5. Recycling or Stockpiling? Country-Specific Strategies for Securing EV Battery Critical Minerals By Yitian Wang; Joaquin Vespignani; Russell Smyth
  6. Is the Chinese gold product a hedge or safe haven for Chinese overseas investors? By Liu, Mengqiao; Zhang, Yu Yvette; Jia, Ruixin

  1. By: Cabana, Gabriela; Richter, Katharina
    Abstract: We examine the impacts arising from net-zero related extraction of metals, mineral and clean energy on indigenous rights and livelihoods in Colombia, and identify policy and social movement responses. A scoping review method combined database searches in SCOPUS, Policy Commons and Overton with a grey literature search. In total, we screened abstracts and titles of 1050 documents, assessed 95 full-text records for eligibility, and included 34 documents for final review. We identified two core themes: green dispossession and renewable energy extraction impacts in La Guajira, sub divided into cultural, socio-political and environmental impacts; and resistance strategies to green extractivism, sub-divided into self-provision as part of a popular energy transition and holistic critiques to transition narratives and plans. National social movement responses were directed towards the left-wing government of Gustavo Petro, elected in 2022. International responses focussed on the coloniality of critical raw material extraction. Two main policy responses by the Petro government aimed to expand community access to energy services and create a Just Energy Transition roadmap. We conclude that Global South calls for the Global North to reduce resource consumption are becoming more prominent. Furthermore, we found some conceptual inconsistencies in this literature based on a routinisation of case studies and an epistemic poverty of dualistic social science concepts which tend not to consider non human actors in extractivist dispossession/degradation, especially in indigenous territories. We recommend future research employ relational theoretical frameworks to develop cultural analyses of extractivist dispossession/degradation, and diversify the Colombian geographical focus beyond La Guajira.
    Keywords: Colombia; critical raw materials; energy transition; green extractivism; indigenous rights; just energy transition; renewable energy
    JEL: R14 J01
    Date: 2026–03–31
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:130386
  2. By: Amrita Golda (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)); Kartik Nair; Md Sarwar Ali; Ritika Verma
    Abstract: India's rapid technological growth has significantly increased electronic consumption, resulting in a surge in electronic waste (e-waste) generation. This working paper examines the complexities of India's e-waste supply chain, focusing on key agents involved, such as collectors, dismantlers, refurbishers, and recyclers, with an emphasis on the dominant role of informal players. The analysis is grounded in field surveys conducted in Maharashtra and Karnataka, which were chosen for their high e-waste generation, industrial ecosystems, and green technology developments. The study highlights the environmental hazards of e-waste, including toxic material leakage, while underscoring its potential for resource recovery and contributions to a circular economy. Recycling e-waste can recover critical materials like copper and rare earth elements, aiding India's clean energy transition and reducing dependency on new mining activities. This comprehensive analysis identifies supply chain challenges, proposes an incentive mechanism to improve e-waste management, and provides actionable policy recommendations to address inefficiencies. The study aims to create a more efficient, sustainable, and inclusive e-waste management framework for India by bridging the gap between informal and formal sectors.
    Keywords: Circular economy, E-waste management, Informal Economy, Recycling, Environmental Economics, icrier
    Date: 2025–11
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdc:wpaper:429
  3. By: Katharina Ledebur (Supply Chain Intelligence Institute Austria); Ladislav Bartuska (Supply Chain Intelligence Institute Austria); Klaus Friesenbichler; Peter Klimek (Supply Chain Intelligence Institute Austria)
    Abstract: The automotive industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the electrification of powertrains, the rise of software-defined vehicles, and the adoption of circular economy concepts. These trends are increasingly blurring the boundaries between the automotive sector and other industries. The pace of adaptation to electrification varies considerably between regions and firms. Unlike internal combustion engine (ICE) production, where mechanical capabilities dominated, competitiveness in electric vehicle (EV) production increasingly depends on expertise in electronics, batteries, and software. This study investigates whether and how firms' ability to leverage cross-industry diversification contributes to their competitive advantage in this evolving landscape. We develop a country-level product space covering all industries, and an industry-specific product space covering over 900 automotive components. This allows us to identify clusters of parts which are exported together, revealing shared manufacturing capabilities. Closeness centrality in the country-level product space, rather than simple proximity, is a strong predictor of where new comparative advantages are likely to emerge. First, we examine this relationship across all industrial sectors to establish general patterns of path dependency, diversification and capability formation. Then, we focus specifically on the electric vehicle (EV) transition. It is argued that new strengths in vehicles and aluminum products in the EU will generate 5 and 4.6 times more EV-specific strengths, respectively, than other EV-relevant sectors over the next decade. In contrast, these sectors are expected to generate only 1.6 and 4.5 new strengths, respectively, in already diversified China. A different pattern emerges when these country-level results are compared to the firm-level product space. Countries such as South Korea, China, the USA and Canada show the greatest potential for diversification into EV-related products. Established producers in the EU are likely to come under pressure. These findings suggest that the success of the automotive transformation will depend on the ability of regions to mobilize existing industrial capabilities, particularly in related sectors such as machinery and electronic equipment.
    Keywords: diversification, car industry, automotive, electric cars, supply chains, network, product space, regions, firms, transition, complexity
    Date: 2025–12–15
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wfo:wpaper:y:2025:i:717
  4. By: Bell, Peter
    Abstract: A mining exploration company, Kermode Resources Ltd, provides an example of surface sampling results from the logging road, and this article describes methods for data visualization of exploration results. The paper uses a bottom-cut as an example of a descriptive statistical method to determine whether the best results cluster in one particular spatial area, using public results from Kermode. The paper introduces a toy model of the area around these sampling results and uses it to discuss potential acid rock drainage. Further, the paper describes a possible synergy between the mining exploration and forestry: when a logging road uses sulphide-rich rocks, it creates a potential pain point for the forestry industry because of increased pollution from heavy metals; however, these same sulphide-rich outcrops are a potential pleasure point for a mining exploration company seeking to find a minerals deposit.
    Keywords: Keywords: Engineering Economics, Mining, Royalties, Finance
    JEL: C0 G0 L7
    Date: 2025–10–28
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:126635
  5. By: Yitian Wang; Joaquin Vespignani; Russell Smyth
    Abstract: Accelerating transport electrification is vital for net-zero goals, yet remains hindered by slow, uncertain development of battery minerals. We show how non-technical risk, such as policy, regulatory, social, and geopolitical risk, inflate capital costs, delay greenfield supply, and heighten price volatility for lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, and copper. Combining Fraser Institute investment scores with reserve shares of these critical minerals, we construct dynamic, mineral-specific risk premiums, derive an optimal stockpiling rule balancing risk and storage costs and introduce a distance-to-iso-cost map comparing recycling and stockpiling strategies. Our framework suggests that in 2040 recycling-led stabilization will be the optimal strategy for mitigating non-technical risk for Japan and Korea, strategic stockpiling will be the optimal strategy for China and the United States, and mixed outcomes for Europe. The method that we propose provides a tractable and updateable toolkit for deciding optimal stockpiles and prioritising recycling where it is most cost-effective.
    Keywords: recycling, stockpiling, critical minerals, EV battery
    JEL: Q38 Q41 Q32 F51 G32
    Date: 2025–12
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:een:camaaa:2025-70
  6. By: Liu, Mengqiao; Zhang, Yu Yvette; Jia, Ruixin
    Keywords: Financial Economics, Risk and Uncertainty
    Date: 2024
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea24:343698

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