Mining, regional development and benefit-sharing in developed countries

• A synthesis of the research on mining, regional development and benefit-sharing.
• The assessment of regional development impacts of mining ventures is discussed.
• The role and the importance of regional and local benefit-sharing are scrutinized.
• Practical experiences from Australia, Canada, Chile and the USA are reviewed.
• Paper concludes by identifying important issues and challenges in future research.

The objective of the paper is to synthesize the existing empirical research on mining, regional development and benefit-sharing in developed countries. Specifically, the paper presents a review of the literature addressing how the regional development impacts of mining ventures (e.g., employment multipliers) can be comprehended and assessed empirically, as well as the role of various benefit-sharing instruments in generating a more inclusive development. These issues are investigated in the context of selected practical experiences in four high-income mining countries (Australia, Canada, Chile and the USA). Important issues and challenges that deserve increased attention in future research are identified. These include, for instance, the relationship between mining competitiveness and benefit-sharing, and the efficient use of regional development investment funds.