The Social License

This unique book combines a colourful history of Bolivian politics with some of the most advanced quantitative techniques yet developed for socio-political risk analysis. It is the story of how a foreign-owned private sector mining company, Minera San Cristobal (MSC), earned, lost, and regained its social licence to operate.

The Social License by Robert G. Boutilier and Ian Thomson, leading experts in stakeholder management theory and practice, transforms the concept of the Social Licence to Operate (SLO) from a metaphor into a management tool. The book traces the development of new concepts and measures in the field of stakeholder engagement while following the narrative of a community struggling with a fundamental change in its identity—from a declining, malnourished llama-herding village to one of the richest towns in Bolivia.

This remarkable story will inspire practitioners in the field of stakeholder management. It provides an invaluable roadmap for professionals working on land re-use projects in the energy, mining, and conservation sectors. The book makes stakeholder relations concepts and techniques accessible to students through an engaging and in-depth case study. It will open your eyes to one of the most fascinating accounts of how two different cultures collided and then came together to address different but aligned goals.