Mining, human rights and the socially responsible investment industry: considering community opposition to shareholder resolutions and implications of collaboration

Catherine Coumans

Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 2012, vol. 2, issue 1, 44-63

Abstract: Canadian mining companies regularly face allegations of human rights abuses related to their global operations. This paper considers the human rights implications of responses by Canadian Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) firms to allegations of human rights abuses against mining companies whose shares they own, assess or recommend to clients. Shareholder resolutions are analysed in the light of recent opposition to implications of this corporate social responsibility vehicle by mining affected communities. The paper also explores consequences for community agency in defence of social and environmental values as a result of relationships that evolve between SRI firms and mining companies through collaborative undertakings. These issues are examined in the context of Goldcorp's Marlin mine in Guatemala. The paper concludes that a relationship Goldcorp entered into with SRI firms through a shareholder resolution led to a flawed human rights impact assessment process that was protective of the company's interests but harmed the ability of affected communities to defend their interests.

Date: 2012
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/20430795.2012.702499 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:jsustf:v:2:y:2012:i:1:p:44-63

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/TSFI20

DOI: 10.1080/20430795.2012.702499

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment is currently edited by Dr Matthew Haigh

More articles in Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().