This timely text will introduce readers to the key issues surrounding reform and expansion of the extractive industries in developing countries, highlighting the consequences of recent developments in the sector to development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Material will draw on a variety of case studies from across the developing world, focusing on both large-scale and small-scale resource extraction. In addition to providing a comprehensive critique of neo-liberal agendas, and more specifically, the role of the World Bank and multinational mining corporations in developing countries, the book will engage with a number of debates that have recently transpired around such key issues as the role of mineral resources in perpetuating civil violence, the 'scramble' for Third World oil, the need for 'good governance' and corporate social responsibility, and the rise of artisanal mining as an alternative livelihood.

In an era where neo-liberal principles have become the dominant ideology propelling the extension of markets and the use and regulation of natural resources in the developing world, this text fills the pressing need for a synthesis that can draw together a range of complex, but inter-related issues. By exploring contemporary theoretical debates, examining current policies, and drawing on the author's extensive field-based research, this book will shed new light on environment-development questions raised within the extractive industries.