Mining Legitimacy: Governing the Politics of Resource-Based Green Industrial Policy

Green transitions are not only technological but deeply political. They rely on resources – land, minerals, water – mostly located in low- and middle-income countries, where extraction is increasingly contested. The mineral–energy nexus lies at the heart of this tension: solar, wind, digital, and electric vehicle technologies require vast quantities of minerals, especially lithium, copper, and nickel. How these minerals are extracted, by whom, and under what governance arrangements will shape the direction and legitimacy of green industrialisation. This paper examines how socioenvironmental conflicts and civic engagement are transforming green industrial policy in resource-rich contexts, drawing on evidence from Argentina and Chile. These countries are key suppliers of transition minerals but face widespread civil society resistance. We show that civic action is not only a barrier to mining expansion but a potential driver of institutional innovation and participatory governance. By integrating insights from sustainability transitions, political ecology, and development studies, the paper underscores the need for a more inclusive vision of green industrial policy – one that recognises the political economy of extraction and the co-productive role of civil society. Our findings offer concrete design insights for policies that are not only green and growth-oriented but also socially legitimate and institutionally robust.