Households, livelihoods and mining-induced displacement and resettlement

•The study of mining-induced displacement and resettlement (MIDR) is in a poor state.•In mining, a critical oversight is conceptualisation of households in livelihood reconstruction.•Households have received considerable attention in development studies, but not in MIDR.•Households tend to have a presence in the early phases of mine planning, drop out in the programmatic phases and re-appear when grievances arise.•This article asserts the significance of the household in livelihood reconstruction in MIDR.

In mining and resettlement practice, one critical oversight is the conceptualisation of households in the formulation of livelihood reconstruction initiatives. While households have received considerable attention in development studies, principally in relation to sustainable livelihood activities, the substance of this research continues to evade the attention of policy makers and practitioners in the mining industry. This article highlights the importance of household level analysis in mining industry policy and resettlement practice. The authors argue that unless the material pressures and possibilities for impoverishment and improvement are realized at the household level, livelihood restoration practice in MIDR will continue to stagnate.