Mineral resources economics. 1 Context and issues / Экономика минеральных ресурсов. 1 Контекст и проблемы

Why did we write a book on the economics of mineral resources? As economists, we would be tempted to say that the absence of a French title on the subject was the motivation for the very existence of the original French edition of this book. Nevertheless, this answer might seem rather sketchy, since there are so many reasons for the creation of this collective work.
To begin with, there are the foundations and knowledge accumulated on the subject over decades by researchers from different disciplines. This knowledge and these representations conveyed through more specialized articles and books convince us of the issues related to the theme. As we will see later, these issues are of various kinds: environmental, social, economic and so on. This knowledge questions us too. Sometimes by its originality, more often by its gravity, it urges us to deepen the field of knowledge to better understand causes, mechanics and consequences and, potentially, to propose levers of action.
Then there are the gaps, shadows and persistent mysteries around the theme. Some of these disappear with the accumulation of work in a discipline and the renewed interest of researchers in understanding what cannot be easily explained. Others – and this is particularly the case for problems associated with our book – are illuminated thanks to the cross-fertilization of several disciplines, with which we are able to fully grasp the intricacies of complex problems, but above all thanks to the interdisciplinary toolbox that can unravel them. <...>

Chapter 1. Assessment of European Demand for Mineral Resources by Material Flow Analyses: The Case of Cobalt

Chapter 2. Financialization of the Minerals and Metals Market: Origin, Challenges and Prospects

Chapter 3. Geopolitics of Metals: Between Strategies of Power and Influence

Chapter 4. Mineral Wealth Endowment, a Construct

Chapter 5. Modeling the Long-Term Evolution of Primary Production Energy and Metal Prices

Chapter 6. Environmental Footprint of Mineral Resources

Chapter 7. Why Should We Fear Energy and Material Savings? Deconstructing a Sustainability Myth

Chapter 8. The “Resource Curse” in Developing Mining Countries

Chapter 9. Industrial and Artisanal Exploitation of Natural Resources: Impacts on Development