Insiders and outsiders on mining extraction: A survey experiment in Peru

Sandoval A.A.; Arce M. · World Development (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107230

Resumen

How does the information over corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices by industry actors impact individual attitudes toward extraction? In this article, we argue that information over CSR practices impact individuals’ attitudes toward extraction and create insider and outsider dynamics that explain the patterns of support and opposition to mining. Using a vignette experiment, we assess a series of hypotheses about the effects of information on our main outcomes of interest: (1) support for mining, and (2) willingness to protest. The experiment exploits a feature of environmental licensing that divides the local population into insiders and outsiders. While insiders receive direct economic benefits (e.g., employment, development projects) and/or compensation for environmental impacts, outsiders receive minimal to no economic benefits from the mining company. The experiment exposed both insiders and outsiders to different vignettes about environmental costs and economic benefits and then measured their support for mining and willingness to participate in a protest. We find that the level of support for mining is generally larger for insiders compared to outsiders. Second, we find that direct economic benefits decrease individuals’ willingness to protest, regardless of insider or outsider status. However, in the presence of environmental costs, outsiders show a higher willingness to protest than insiders. To illustrate insider and outsider dynamics, we draw on qualitative evidence collected during nine months of fieldwork in the Las Bambas mine in southern Peru.

Instituciones: Universidad del Pacífico