Professor Gavin Hilson
Biography
Gavin is a leading global authority on the environmental and social impacts of the small-scale mining sector. He has published over 300 journal articles, book chapters and reports on the subject, his specialist knowledge widely recognized internationally. He has delivered talks on small-scale mining at United Nations headquarters in New York, the World Bank in Washington DC and several universities worldwide. He has also provided consultancy services on the subject for a range of organizations: the UK Department for International Development, World Bank and EGMONT (Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels); the NGO sector, including the Alliance for Responsible Mining and the WWF Guianas; and corporations such as Newmont Gold Mining and Gold Fields.Gavin is editor-in-chief of The Extractive Industries and Society (Elsevier Science), and is on the editorial boards of The Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier Science), Resources Policy (Elsevier Science), Mineral Economics (Springer) and The International Journal of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Environment (Taylor & Francis). He is also an executive board member of the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), an NGO established to improve awareness and eliminate circulation of 'conflict diamonds'.
He received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Toronto, and his PhD from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. His first academic post was at Cardiff University, where he held the post, Lecturer in Environmental Policy, in the School of City and Regional Planning. Following this appointment, he moved to the Institute of Development Policy and Management (IDPM), the University of Manchester, where he held the post of Lecturer in Environment and Development. In 2007, he moved to the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading, taking up a permanent lectureship in Environment and Development. He was promoted to Reader in 2009.
Editor-in-Chief, The Extractive Industries and Society
The Extractive Industries and Society is the one journal devoted to disseminating in-depth analysis of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of mining and oil and gas production on societies, both past and present. It provides a platform for the exchange of ideas on a wide range of issues and debates on the extractive industries and development, bringing together research undertaken by an interdisciplinary group of social scientists in academia, government, the NGO community and industry. Topics covered by the journal include environmental management at mines and rigs; Corporate Social Responsibility and community development; the environmental and social impacts of artisanal and small-scale mining in developing countries; corruption and the extractive industries; industry reform; the donor community and the extractive industries; climate change and fossil fuel extraction; and taxation and foreign direct investment in the sector. Submissions which draw upon experiences from both developed and developing countries are invited from across the social sciences. The journal publishes original research articles, field reports, critical reviews, conference reports, book reviews and short correspondences. For more information, including 'Instructions for Authors', please visit the journal website at www.journals.elsevier.com/the-extractive-industries-and-society/.
Areas of specialism
My qualifications
Previous roles
Ph.D. Supervison
I am interested in supervising Ph.D. students interested in undertaking research on the following:
- The environmental/social/economic impacts of artisanal and small-scale mining in developing countries
- Broader themes related to the extractive industries and development
News
In the media
Research
Research interests
Research interests
For two decades, Gavin has carried out research on mining and development in Ghana, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Zambia, Malawi and Guyana. His work has been funded by a range of organizations, including the ESRC, British Council, British Academy, the Royal Society and Nuffield Foundation. He is presently carrying out research on mineral certification schemes; Corporate Social Responsibility in the mining sector, specifically the application of a 'social license to operate' in sub-Saharan Africa and relations between multinationals and artisanal operators; and linkages between smallholder farming, agricultural liberalization and the growth of small-scale mining.
Research collaborations
- University of Mines and Technology, Ghana
- University of Ghana, Ghana
- University of Bath, UK
- University of East Anglia, UK
- Murdoch University, Australia
- University of Queensland, Australia
- WWF Guianas
- World Bank, Washington DC
- United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa
- GIZ, Germany
- Carleton University, Canada
- University of British Columbia, Canada
- University of Toronto, Canada
- University of Delaware, USA
Research projects
April 2019 - Present
Summary
In sub-Saharan Africa, conflicts between multinational gold-mining companies and indigenous artisanal and
small-scale mining (ASM) groups have escalated. Host government are awarding sizeable concessions to
mineral exploration/mining companies which contain ASM activities. 'Absorbed' as part of the concession
demarcation process, ASM operators are prevented from securing the permits they need to work legally. The
proposed research seeks to provide a more grounded analysis of these conflicts. It responds to recent calls
made for mining companies to forge working partnerships with ASM groups working on their concessions,
questioning the sustainability of such a strategy. Focusing on the case of Mali, one of the largest goldproducers
in sub-Saharan Africa, the research investigates how several factors, including mergers/acquisitions
of mining companies, a fluctuating gold price and complex management structures, influence multinationals'
approaches toward ASM. A greater appreciation of these dynamics reveals that strategy in this area cannot
be static, as is assumed.
Funded by the British Academy
March 2019 - December 2019
Funded by the International Growth Centre
February 2018 - October 2018
Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
July 2017 - December 2018
Supervision
Postgraduate research supervision
PhD Students
Current
(2019-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Ms. Estrella Cardoso, Surrey Business School, “Women in the Extractive Industries in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Angola”, Angola Government Scholarship, University of Surrey.
(2018-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Mr Titus Sauerwein, Surrey Business School, “The Artisanal Miner-Large Scale Mining Interface in Cote d’Ivoire”, Surrey Doctoral School PhD Scholarship, University of Surrey.
(2017-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Ms Madeline Young, Surrey Business School, “Corruption in the Mining Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa”, Surrey Business School PhD Scholarship, University of Surrey.
(2016-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Ms Emmanuelle Bryant, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading, “Climate Change, Resilience and Human Mobility in Oil-Rich Turkana County, Kenya”, Funding: ESRC doctoral fellowship (with Dr Alex Arnall, The University of Reading).
(2015-Present) Ph.D. Co-Supervisor for Mr. Joshua Sandin, School of Management. Royal Holloway, University of London. Thesis title: "Microfinance and Small-Scale Mining in Sub-Saharan Africa", Funding: SEDTC ESRC Doctoral Fellowship, Royal Holloway.
Completed
(2015-2019) Ph.D. Supervisor for Suleman Dauda, Surrey Business School, “Corporate Social Responsibility at African Mines: A Life Cycle Assessment”, Funding: Ghana GET Fund.
(2013-2019) Ph.D. Supervisor for Angélique Ikuzwe, Surrey Business School, The University of Surrey. Thesis title: “'Young Faces in Dangerous Places: Diagnosing the Child Labour 'Problem' in Northern Ghana”, Funding: Business and Management Postgraduate Research Studentship, University of Surrey.
(2013-2018) Ph.D. Supervisor for Mr. James McQuilken, Surrey Business School, The University of Surrey. Thesis title: “'Ethical Gold' in sub-Saharan Africa: A Viable Poverty Alleviation Strategy?” Funding: SEDTC ESRC doctoral fellowship, University of Surrey.
(2010-2014) Ph.D. Supervisor for Ms. Rachel Perks, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: “Here for a Lifetime: Perspectives from Rwanda's Generational Miners”. Funding: University of Reading Studentship.
(2010-2015) Ph.D. Supervisor for Mrs. Hope Kruku, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: “Can Solid Mineral Development Offset Nigeria's Oil Curse?”
(2010-2014) Ph.D. Supervisor for Mr. Mark Hirons, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: “Addressing Livelihood and Environmental Needs: What are the Implications of Implementing the REDD Mechanism in The Mineralized Territories of Ghana?” Funding: NERC/ESRC Studentship.
(2010-2014) Ph.D. Supervisor for Dr. Audrey Cash, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: “Oil for Development in Africa: The Case of Chad”.
(2009-2013) Ph.D. Supervisor for Dr. Paul Kamlongera, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: “De-agrarianization and livelihood diversification in sub-Saharan Africa: What economic role does artisanal mining play in rural Malawi?” Funding: Commonwealth Fellowship Program.
(2009-2013) Ph.D. Supervisor for Dr. Godfried Appiah Okoh, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: “Using the grievance mechanism to contextualize small-scale and large-scale mining conflicts in rural Ghana”.
(2008-2011) Ph.D. Supervisor for Dr. Martin Clifford, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: “Environment, health and mercury pollution in the small-scale gold mining industry: strategies and ways forward in Ghana and Guyana” Funding: NERC/ESRC Studentship.
(2007-2011) Ph.D. Supervisor for Dr. Emmanuel Conteh, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: “Livelihoods Diversification Challenges in the Diamond Mining District of Kono, Sierra Leone”.
(2007-2011) Ph.D. Supervisor for Dr. John Childs, Institute for Development Policy and Management, The University of Manchester. Thesis title: “Fair Trade Gold: A Panacea for Poverty in Tanzania?” Funding: ESRC Studentship.
(2006-2010) Ph.D. Supervisor for Dr. Sadia Mohammed Banchirigah, Institute for Development Policy and Management, The University of Manchester. Thesis title: “Alternative Livelihood Projects: A Vehicle for Poverty Alleviation in Rural Ghana?” Funding: University of Manchester Alumni Fund.