Stateness and Governance in the Copper Conflicts of the Energy Transition

Abstract

This article comparatively analyses governance mechanisms used to manage conflicts related to copper mining projects in the United States, Peru, and Mexico. It argues that differences in institutional arrangements among the three countries produce different types of governance: delegative governance to business actors in Peru, regulation through administrative agencies in the United States, and centralized federal government in Mexico. Against the backdrop of geopolitical disputes over natural resource exploitation and growing copper demand driven by the energy transition, the article demonstrates how the distribution of competencies and resources among government agencies shapes state capacity to mediate socio-environmental conflicts, regulate resource appropriation, and achieve distributive equilibria between global business actors and local communities. The analysis highlights the importance of examining both formal rules and how different actors interpret and mobilize them to understand extractive projects’ distributive and environmental justice effects.