The formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining: Taking stock and charting the future

George Ofosu; David Sarpong

doi:10.1177/02690942261477982

The formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining: Taking stock and charting the future

George Ofosu
, David Sarpong^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

We are delighted to introduce this special issue, the purpose of which is to develop a deeper understanding of the operational outcomes of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) industry. Each of the articles in the collection contributes important insights to our understanding of the dynamics of ASM operations and, collectively, they provide important benchmarks for subsequent research on this phenomenon. In different ways, they explore how different stakeholders and institutions shape the ASM space and influence outcomes despite the existence of formal rules and structures meant to formally regulate ASM operations. In doing so, they shed considerable light on how formalisation mechanisms can shape – or fail to shape – the ASM world in which both formal and informal operators exist.

Original language	English
Number of pages	9
Journal	Local Economy
Early online date	16 Aug 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/02690942261477982
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 16 Aug 2026

Bibliographical note

Copyright © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

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10.1177/02690942261477982Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0

ofosu-sarpong-2026-the-formalization-of-artisanal-and-small-scale-mining-taking-stock-and-charting-the-future
Copyright © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
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Cite this

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The formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining: Taking stock and charting the future

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