Understanding the Dynamics of Community Engagement of Corporations in Communities: The Iterative Relationship Between Dialogue Processes and Local Protest at the Tintaya Copper Mine in Peru

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility refers to businesses' efforts to improve their social and environmental performance. Generally, corporations implement universal standards and codes of conduct or publish reports on their activities. However, in controversial instances, such as environmental conflicts between corporations and communities, some companies have engaged communities and NGOs through deliberative processes. Despite the goal of achieving consensus among stakeholders, dialogues do not always resolve conflicts. This article examines the dialogue processes between the company BHP Billiton and communities around the Tintaya Mine (Peru) in order to understand why residents resisted deliberative spaces created to address their concerns. Through interviews and focus groups with protesters, I show that resistance was not intended to undermine deliberation, unlike what democracy theorists have previously asserted, but rather, to foster openness and understanding among the corporation and residents. Findings suggest that an iterative relationship between dialogue and resistance can improve intercultural relations and mitigate power differentials.

Keywords:

• corporate social responsibility
• deliberative democracy
• mining
• multiparty dialogues
• resource extraction

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Prof. JoAnn Carmin, Prof. Lawrence Susskind, Prof. John Forester, David Fairman, Merrick Hoben, Oxfam America, CooperAcción, and the anomymous reviewers of Society & Natural Resources for their thoughtful and invaluable comments and feedback on this article. She also thanks the numerous residents and organizations in Tintaya that helped make this research possible.