Society And Mining: Building Legitimacy In Contested Environments Chafika Eddine chafikaeddine@gmail.com Doctor of Business Administration Program, Faculty of Management, Royal Roads University, Canada, Abstract Mining occupies a contested position in contemporary debates on sustainable development. Despite rising global demand for minerals, projects are increasingly delayed, contested, or suspended due to societal opposition, revealing a persistent gap between formal authorization and social acceptance. This article synthesizes research on sustainability, legitimacy, governance, and capacity in mining to examine why established frameworks and standards often fail to secure durable acceptance. It reviews responsible mining standards, consent-based approaches such as the Social License to Operate and Free, Prior and Informed Consent, as well as scholarship on governance, trust, and institutional capacity. Across these bodies of work, there is broad agreement on principles and objectives, yet recurring limitations linked to uneven implementation, declining institutional trust, and the politicization of mining beyond the project level. A central insight is that legitimacy is not secured by frameworks alone, nor by a single actor. It is negotiated across communities, states, and wider society through decision-making processes and relationships. While much research focuses on institutional design and procedures, less attention has been given to how these are applied under pressure. The article concludes that durable social acceptance depends not only on strong frameworks, but on leadership capacity, credibility, and sustained relationship-building. Keywords Responsible mining, Social acceptance, Governance, Trust, Sustainability, ESG, Stakeholder engagement 1. INTRODUCTION Across many sectors, business organizations are increasingly expected to deliver more than economic performance. They are also expected to contribute to social stability, institutional trust, and fair decision-making, particularly in industries whose activities generate significant social, environmental, and political impacts. Mining is one such sector. While global demand for minerals continues to rise, mining projects are increasingly delayed, contested, or suspended due to societal opposition (Bebbington et al., 2019; Spalding, 2023). These tensions expose a persistent gap between formal authorization and social acceptance, with important consequences for governance credibility and long-term development outcomes. 52
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