Staff Profile:Dr Gavin Hilson

Name:

Dr Gavin Hilson

Job Title:

Reader in Environment and Development

Responsibilities:

• Programme Director for MSc in Environment and Development
• Module Convenor for Environment and Development: Problems and Policies (MSc) and Environment and Development: Case Studies (MSc)
• Module Convenor for The Extractive Industries, The Environment and Developing Societies (MSc)  

Areas of Interest:

• Environmental and socio-economic impacts of artisanal and small-scale mining
• Mining environmental management
• Structural adjustment, livelihoods and reform, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Natural resource conflicts/management in developing countries

Recent and Current Research Activities:

• Artisanal Mining, Smallholder Farming and Economic Development: Developing a Strategy for Poverty Alleviation in Rural Ghana (September 2010-September 2013) Funding provided by DELPHE-British Council.
• Fair Trade: Challenges and Prospects for Small-Scale Miners (2011-Present) Funding provided by the British Academy.
• Livelihood Diversification and Poverty Traps in West African Artisanal Mining Communities (2010-2011) Funding provided by the British Academy.
• Livelihoods in Transition? De-Agrarianization and the Rise of Artisanal Mining in sub-Saharan Africa. (2009-2011) Funding provided by the ESRC.
• Livelihoods in transition: A critical appraisal of re-agrarianization in Ghanaian artisanal mining communities. (2008-2009) Funding provided by the British Academy.
• Child Labour: A Necessary Evil in West African Artisanal Mining Communities? 2006-2007 Funding provided by the British Academy.

Research groups / Centres:

Publications:

Y

Jump to: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

Number of items: 44.

2012

• Hilson, G. and Kamlongera, P. (2012) 'Fair trade gold': prospects for Africa's artisanal miners. In: Utting,, , P., Reed, D. and Reed, A. (eds.) Business Regulations and Non-State Actors: Whose standards? Whose Development? Routledge Studies in Development Economics. Routledge, Abington, pp. 277-287. ISBN 9780415593113
• Hilson, G. and Garforth, C. (2012) 'Agricultural poverty' and the expansion of artisanal mining in sub-Saharan Africa: Experiences from southwest Mali and southeast Ghana. Population Research and Policy Review. ISSN 1573-7829 doi: 10.1007/s11113-012-9229-6 (In Press)
• Hilson, G. (2012) Corporate social responsibility in the extractive industries: experiences from developing countries. Resources Policy. ISSN 0301-4207 doi: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2012.01.002 (In Press)
• Hilson, G. (2012) Family work and cultural values: child labor in Malian artisanal gold mining communities. World Development. ISSN 0305-750X (In Press)
• Hilson, G. (2012) Poverty traps in small-scale mining communities: the case of sub-Saharan Africa. Canadian Journal of Development Studies. ISSN 2158-9100 doi: 10.1080/02255189.2012.687352 (In Press)

2011

• Hilson, G. (2011) ‘Inherited commitments’: do changes in ownership affect corporate social responsibility (CSR) at African gold mines? African Journal of Business Management, 5 (27). pp. 10921-10939. ISSN 1993-8233 doi: 10.5897/AJBM10.1608
• Abigail, A.-B. and Hilson, G. (2011) Implementing microcredit services for Africa's rural poor: the case of the artisanal mining sector. In: Farhad, H., Christopher, R. and Tonya, K. M. (eds.) Microcredit and International Development: Contexts, achievements and challenges. Routledge Studies in Development Economics. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 156-170. ISBN 9780415679756
• Hilson, G. (2011) Artisanal mining, smallholder farming and livelihood diversification in rural sub-Saharan Africa: an introduction. Journal of International Development, 23 (8). pp. 1031-1041. ISSN 1099-1328 doi: 10.1002/jid.1829 (special issue 'Artisanal Mining, Smallholder Farming and Economic Development in Rural sub-Saharan Africa')
• Hilson, G. and van Bockstael, S. (2011) Diamond mining, rice farming, and a ‘Maggi cube’: a viable survivial strategy in rural Liberia? Journal of International Development, 23 (8). pp. 1042-1053. ISSN 1099-1328 doi: 10.1002/jid.1830
• Okoh, G. and Hilson, G. (2011) Poverty and livelihood diversification: exploring the linkages between smallholder farming and artisanal mining in rural Ghana. Journal of International Development, 23 (8). pp. 1100-1114. ISSN 1099-1328 doi: 10.1002/jid.1834 (special issue 'Artisanal Mining, Smallholder Farming and Economic Development in Rural sub-Saharan Africa')
• Hilson, G. and Ackah-Baidoo, A. (2011) Can microcredit services alleviate hardship in African small-scale mining communities? World Development, 39 (7). pp. 1191-1203. ISSN 0305-750X doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2010.10.004
• Kamlongera, P. and Hilson, G. (2011) Poverty alleviation in rural Malawi: is there a role for artisanal mining? Journal of Eastern African Studies, 5 (1). pp. 42-69. ISSN 1753-1063 doi: 10.1080/17531055.2011.544545
• Maconachie, R. and Hilson, G. (2011) Artisanal gold mining: a new frontier in post-conflict Sierra Leone? Journal of Development Studies, 47 (4). pp. 595-616. ISSN 1743-9140 doi: 10.1080/00220381003599402
• Hilson, G. and Van Bockstael, S. (2011) Poverty and livelihood diversification in rural Liberia: exploring the linkages between artisanal diamond mining and smallholder rice production. Journal of Development Studies. ISSN 1743-9140 doi: 10.1080/00220388.2011.604414 (In Press)
• Maconachie, R. and Hilson, G. (2011) Safeguarding livelihoods or exacerbating poverty?: Artisanal mining and formalization in West Africa. Natural Resources Forum, 35 (4). pp. 293-303. ISSN 0165-0203 doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2011.01407.x
• Hilson, G. (2011) 'A conflict of interest'? A critical examination of artisanal/large-scale miner relations in sub-Saharan Africa. In: Natural Resource Investment And Africa's Development. New Horizons in Environmental and Energy Law series. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham UK, pp. 134-158. ISBN 9781848446793

2010

• Hilson, G. M. and Clifford, M. (2010) A 'Kimberley protest': diamond mining, export sanctions, and poverty in Awatia, Ghana. African Affairs, 109 (436). pp. 431-450. ISSN 0001-9909 doi: 10.1093/afraf/adq020
• Hilson, G. M. (2010) ‘Once a miner, always a miner’: Poverty and livelihood diversification in Akwatia, Ghana. Journal of Rural Studies, 26 (3). pp. 296-307. ISSN 0743-0167 doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2010.01.002
• Banchirigah, S. M. and Hilson, G. (2010) De-agrarianization, re-agrarianization and local economic development: re-orientating livelihoods in African artisanal mining communities. Policy Sciences, 43 (2). pp. 157-180. ISSN 0032-2687 doi: 10.1007/s11077-009-9091-5
• Kwai, B. and Hilson, G. (2010) Livelihood diversification and the expansion of artisanal mining in rural Tanzania: drivers and policy implications. Outlook on Agriculture, 39 (2). pp. 141-147. ISSN 0030-7270 doi: 10.5367/000000010791745358
• Hilson, G. M. (2010) Child labour in African Artisanal Mining Communities: experiences from Northern Ghana. Development and Change, 41 (3). pp. 445-473. ISSN 1467-7660 doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7660.2010.01646.x
• Hilson, G. and Clifford, M. J., eds. (2010) Small-scale gold mining, mercury and environmental health: perspectives on rural Ghana. International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 41 (3/4). Interscience.
• Hilson, G. and Clifford, M. J. (2010) Small-scale gold mining, the environment and human health: an introduction to the Ghana case. International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 41 (3-4). pp. 185-194. ISSN 1741-5101 doi: 10.1504/IJEP.2010.033229

2009

• Hilson, G. and Banchirigah, S. M. (2009) Are alternative livelihood projects alleviating poverty in mining communities? Experiences from Ghana. Journal of Development Studies, 45 (2). pp. 172-196. ISSN 0022-0388 doi: 10.1080/00220380802553057
• Hilson, G. and Maconachie, R. (2009) Good governance and the extractive industries in sub-saharan Africa. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 30 (1). pp. 52-100. ISSN 0882-7508 doi: 10.1080/08827500802045511
• Carstens, J. and Hilson, G. (2009) Mining, grievance and conflict in rural Tanzania. International Development Planning Review, 31 (3). pp. 301-326. ISSN 1474-6743 doi: 10.3828/idpr.31.3.5
• Hilson, G. (2009) Small-scale mining, poverty and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa: An overview. Resources Policy, 34 (1-2). pp. 1-5. ISSN 0301-4207 doi: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2008.12.001

2008

• Hilson, G. (2008) 'Fair trade gold': Antecedents, prospects and challenges. Geoforum, 39 (1). pp. 386-400. ISSN 0016-7185 doi: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2007.09.003
• Hilson, G. (2008) 'A load too heavy': Critical reflections on the child labor problem in Africa's small-scale mining sector. Children and Youth Services Review, 30 (11). pp. 1233-1245. ISSN 0190-7409 doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.03.008

2007

• Hilson, G. and Vieira, R. (2007) Challenges with minimising mercury pollution in the small-scale gold mining sector: Experiences from the Guianas. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 17 (6). pp. 429-441. ISSN 0960-3123 doi: 10.1080/09603120701633396
• Hilson, G. (2007) Championing the rhetoric: corporate social responsibility in the Ghanaian mining sector. Greener Management International, 53. pp. 43-56. ISSN 0966-9671
• Hilson, G., Hilson, C.J. and Pardie, S. (2007) Improving awareness of mercury pollution in small-scale gold mining communities: Challenges and ways forward in rural Ghana. Environmental Research, 103 (2). pp. 275-287. ISSN 0013-9351 doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2006.09.010
• Hilson, G. and Yakovleva, N. (2007) Strained relations: a critical analysis of the mining conflict in Prestea, Ghana. Political Geography, 26 (1). pp. 98-119. ISSN 0962-6298 doi: 10.1016/j.polgeo.2006.09.001
• Hilson, G., Yakovleva, N. and Banchirigah, S. M. (2007) 'To move or not to move': Reflections on the resettlement of artisanal miners in the western region of Ghana. African Affairs, 106 (424). pp. 413-436. ISSN 0001-9909 doi: 10.1093/afraf/adm038
• Hilson, G. (2007) What is wrong with the global support facility for small-scale mining? Progress in Development Studies., 7 (3). pp. 235-249. ISSN 1464-9934 doi: 10.1177/146499340700700304

2006

• Hilson, G. (2006) Abatement of mercury pollution in the small-scale gold mining industry: Restructuring the policy and research agendas. Science of the Total Environment, 362 (1-3). pp. 1-14. ISSN 0048-9697 doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.09.065
• Hilson, G. and Monhemius, A. J. (2006) Alternatives to cyanide in the gold mining industry: what prospects for the future. Journal of Cleaner Production, 14 (12-13). pp. 1158-1167. ISSN 0959-6526 doi: 10.1016/j.clepro.2004.09.005
• Hilson, G. and Nyame, F. (2006) Gold mining in Ghana's forest reserves: a report on the current debate. Area, 38 (2). pp. 175-185. ISSN 1475-4762
• Hilson, G. M. (2006) Introduction to this special issue, 'Improving Environmental, Economic and Ethical Performance in the Mining Industry'. Part 2: life cycle and process analysis, innovation and technical change. Journal of Cleaner Production, 14 (12-13). p. 1039. ISSN 0959-6526 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2005.05.020
• Hilson, G. M. (2006) Introduction to this special issue, 'Improving environmental, economic and ethical performance in the mining industry': Part 1: Environmental management and sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 14 (3-4). pp. 225-226. ISSN 0959-6526 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2005.03.001
• Hilson, G. and Pardie, S. (2006) Mercury: An agent of poverty in Ghana's small-scale gold-mining sector? Resources Policy, 31 (2). pp. 106-116. ISSN 0301-4207 doi: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2006.09.001

2005

• Haselip, J. and Hilson, G. (2005) Winners and losers from industry reforms in the developing world: experiences from the electricity and mining sectors. Resources Policy, 30 (2). pp. 87-100. ISSN 0301-4207
• Hilson, G. (2005) Strengthening artisanal mining research and policy through baseline census activities. Natural Resources Forum, 29 (2). pp. 144-153. ISSN 1477-8947 doi: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2005.00123.x
• Hilson, G. and Potter, C. (2005) Structural adjustment and subsistence industry: artisanal gold mining in Ghana. Development and Change, 36 (1). pp. 103-131. ISSN 1467-7660 doi: 10.1111/j.0012-155X.2005.00404.x

This list was generated on Thu May 24 01:25:43 2012 BST.

PhD Students

• 2010-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Ms Rachel Perks, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading. Thesis title: "Livelihoods, Conflict and Artisanal Mining in Rural Zimbabwe" Funding: University of Reading Fellowship, 3 years.
• 2010-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Mr. Mark Hirons, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading. Thesis title: "'Forests or People? Artisanal mining, deforestation and climate management in Ghana" Funding: NERC/ESRC Studentship, 3 years (With Professor Mark Hodson, Soil Science).
• (2009-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Mr. Paul Kamlongera, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading. Thesis title: "De-agrarianization and livelihood diversification in sub-Saharan Africa: What economic role does artisanal mining play in rural Malawi?" Funding: Commonwealth Fellowship Program, 3 years.
• (2009-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Mr. Simon Maziku, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: "Survival or Sustainability? Artisanal Miners' Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviours", self-funded.
• (2009-Present) Ph.D. Supervisor for Mr. Godfried Appiah Okoh, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading. Thesis title: "Using the grievance mechanism to contextualize small-scale and large-scale mining conflicts in rural Ghana", self-funded.
• (2008-Present) PhD Supervisor for Mr. Martin Clifford 'Environment and mercury pollution in the small-scale gold mining industry: strategies and ways forward in Ghana and Guyana', NERC/ESRC Studentship (with Dr Mark Hodson, Soil Science).
• (2007-Present) PhD Supervisor for Mr. Emmanuel Conteh, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading. Thesis title: "Livelihoods Diversification Challenges in the Diamond Mining District of Kono, Sierra Leone", Self-funded.  

Editorial Duties

• Editorial Board Member, Resources Policy, Elsevier Science Ltd http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30467/description#description
• Associate Editor, Journal of Cleaner Production, Elsevier Science Ltd http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30440/description?navopenmenu=-2
• Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Surface Mining, Reclamation and the Environment http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713658227 Routledge
• Editorial Board Member, Mineral Economics http://www.springer.com/economics/industrial+organization/journal/13563 Springer-Verlag

Qualifications:

BSc MA (University of Toronto), Ph.D. (Imperial College, London)