Resources and Governance in Melanesia

September 26, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Mānoa Campus, John Burns Hall room 3121/3125, East-West Center

Resources and governance in Melanesia: constraints and possibilities towards managing the local effects of large-scale mining. Natural resources occupy a central developmental position in the Melanesian nations, with copper, gold and oil having been critical to growth (and conflict) for most of the past 40 years. Current prospects and projects look to extend this into the foreseeable future, with massive new developments in Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia continuing this regional resource-dependence. Using James Ferguson’s (2005) discussion of governance in the context of oil in Africa as a starting point, Dr Banks will discuss the problems and complexities of resource governance in Melanesia drawing on fieldwork focused on the local management of the social and environmental effects of large-scale mining.

This seminar will explore how key stakeholders contribute differentially to governance of various elements of the mining complex and will seek to provide a more nuanced way of viewing the possibilities and constraints to improving governance of the sector.

Dr Glenn Banks’ research focuses on applied policy development in the context of resource management and communities, local economic development, development and conflict, and social impact assessment methodologies. He has worked as researcher and consultant on mining in Melanesia for 25 years. He has published widely on issues around the mining sector in Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, and the Pacific. Dr Banks is currently a visiting researcher with the Environment, Vulnerability, and Governance Program at EWC.


Ticket Information
Free and open to the public

Event Sponsor
Center for Pacific Islands Studies, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Katherine Higgins, 956-2658, khiggins@hawaii.edu, Enter Title Here (PDF)

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