Constellation, le dépôt institutionnel de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Résumé

Marred with intricate socio-environmental problems, human rights abuses and disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities, including indigenous peoples, extractive industries (EI)-led development has often disappointed. This chapter asks whether 'better' governance is the panacea for EI to spearhead development in the Global South and if so, how. We argue that the 'Modes of Governance' approach offers the most useful perspective. Nested within heterodox political economy, this approach emphasizes the need to take into account the structural relations of power and authority, as well as the plurality of actors that have a significant influence on the investment environment for the sector and the norms which regulate it. The chapter first provides an overview of EI development in the Global South. It then details how, over the past three decades, different analysts have identified 'governance' as a key variable while significantly disagreeing on how to define this intricate concept. Building on the Modes of Governance approach, we then turn to the analysis of key contemporary debates over EI. We conclude that neo-liberalism and the externally driven nature of EI and governance reforms in the Global South have profoundly constrained the capacity of the state to make economic and socio-environmental decisions around EI.