On 20 September 2019, Ben Radley will defend his PhD thesis on 'Mining Industrialisation in the African Periphery: Disruption and Dependency in South Kivu, DRC'.
The defence will be broadcast live via ISS Livestream
- Doctoral student
- Date
- Friday 20 Sep 2019, 16:00 - 18:00
- Type
- PhD defence
- Spoken Language
- English
- Room
- Aula B
- Location
- International Institute of Social Studies
- More information
The doors will be closed after the start of the Public Defence, but will be briefly opened after the candidate’s introduction to allow latecomers to enter.
Children under 7 years old are not allowed in the Aula during the first part of the ceremony.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception in the Atrium of the ISS.
Professors are invited to join the academic procession.
In his thesis, Ben investigates the theoretical foundations of the African Minerals Consensus. This consensus is founded on the general premise that African low-income countries should leverage their comparative advantage in minerals to drive productivity growth through TNC-led mining (re)industrialization.
His finds three interrelated critiques of the African Minerals Consensus:
- He challenges the wisdom of overlooking the potential of artisanal mining
- He refutes the claim by consensus proponents that new mining industry practices render enclave concerns obsolete
- He questions the assumption that modern corporations will be more efficient and effective at leading mining industrialization than the state-owned enterprises that preceded them, or existing artisanal alternatives.
Doctoral board
Chair
Doctoral dissertation supervisor
Professor Max Spoor
Dr Andrew Fischer
Members of the Full Doctoral Committee
Dr Marie-Rose Bashwira, Catholic University of Bukavu
Professor Ray Bush, University of Leeds
Professor Tom De Herdt, University of Antwerp
Professor Thea Hilhorst
Professor Murat Arsel
