Title: Strategies to Gain a Social License to Operate in the Mining Industry in Peru
Author/Institution: Luis Llaque – Doctoral Study, Walden University
Publication Year: 2021
Trust-Building and Stakeholder Engagement
Llaque’s doctoral study investigates the strategies used by Peruvian mining executives to build and maintain community trust amid growing social conflict. He finds that sustained transparency, equitable benefit-sharing, and local participation in monitoring and decision-making are essential to maintaining legitimacy. The study frames the SLO not as a communication tool but as a continuously negotiated relationship between companies, communities, and state institutions.
Methodological Framework
Using a qualitative multiple case study approach, Llaque interviewed corporate leaders, local stakeholders, and government officials across Peru’s main mining corridors. He identifies three core strategies: participatory dialogue, shared-value projects, and grievance mechanisms that address local concerns before they escalate into protests.
Policy and Industry Implications
The research concludes that the social license is strongest when companies integrate community voice and transparency into operational systems, rather than treating engagement as crisis response. For Peru, the findings highlight the urgent need to institutionalize dialogue-based governance in regions affected by illegal mining and socio-environmental tension.