In my dissertation, I investigated why certain indigenous communities affected by industrial mining succeed in mobilizing effective collective actions to mitigate negative externalities and secure a fair share of benefits while others fail.  The power imbalance between these communities and operating companies often leaves protests as one of the few avenues to express grievances.

 

I formulated a three-fold argument: firstly, effective collective actions, characterized by broad-based participation, strong solidarity, and low levels of radicalism, are crucial for successful negotiations with companies and governments. Secondly, the presence of strong umbrella organizations that integrate mobilizational resources in the community significantly contributes to coordinating effective collective actions. Thirdly, cohesive communities with high social capital, measured by the density of civil society organizations, tend to host strong umbrella organizations, enabling more effective engagement with extractive firms and governments. Conversely, fragmented communities face obstacles in mobilizing collective actions, impeding their ability to negotiate effectively.

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Drawing on on-the-ground experience and knowledge of indigenous communities, my study proves that organizational capacity building is indispensable in mitigating the human-environmental hazards of natural resource extraction at the grassroots level.