Frequently asked questions about the social licence to operate
Open accessAbstract
The ‘social licence to operate’ (SLO) is an increasingly heard term that was originally coined to draw the attention of mining companies to stakeholder issues. Drawing on questions and comments voiced in 50 events attended by approximately 900 managers, consultants, academics and students, this article employs the rhetoric device of ‘frequently asked questions’ (FAQs) to articulate conceptual and socio-political issues associated with the term. The first two of the six FAQs deal with the most novel contribution of the SLO concept, the idea that stakeholders have real power. The third and fourth FAQs deal with ethical and political issues about how stakeholders wield their power. The fifth FAQ looks at how to weight the diverse SLO levels granted by a non-cohesive stakeholder network. The sixth FAQ deals with confusion arising from the fact that both specific projects and whole industries can lose their SLO. The answers to the FAQs explore issues raised by the questions and identify (a) existing research that can illuminate the questions, and (b) latent questions that need further empirical research.
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The term social license to operate (SLO) made its appearance in the mining sector in the mid-1990s to manage social challenges by ensuring companies and communities operate under a shared vision and maximum benefits to all involved stakeholders.
“The term social license to operate (SLO) made its appearance in the mining sector in the mid-1990s to manage social challenges by ensuring that companies and communities operate under a shared vision and maximum benefits to all involved stakeholders (Boutilier 2014; Ehrnström-Fuentes and Kröger 2017).”
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Tutton, J., & Brand, V. (2022) · Public Relations Review · doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102278 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
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Discourse, agency, and social license to operate in New Zealand’s marine economy
Newton, M., Farrelly, T. A., & Sinner, J. (2020) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-11304-250102 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Mulhern, R., Mulhern, M., & Perreault, T. (2020) · The Extractive Industries and Society · doi:10.1016/j.exis.2020.08.014 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Certifying the public image? Reputational gains of certification in Norwegian salmon aquaculture
Olsen, M. S., Thorvaldsen, T., & Osmundsen, T. C. (2021) · Aquaculture · doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2021.736900 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
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Hossain, S. R., & Fuller, S. (2021) · Australian Geographer · doi:10.1080/00049182.2021.1964162 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Nyembo, N., & Lees, Z. J. (2020) · The Extractive Industries and Society · doi:10.1016/j.exis.2020.01.007 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Dauda, S. (2022) · The Extractive Industries and Society · doi:10.1016/j.exis.2022.101141 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
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GİDERLER, M. E., & Vanclay, F. M. (2024) · Social enterprise journal · doi:10.1108/sej-02-2024-0026 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
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“Social licence to operate” and the human services: A pathway to smarter commissioning?
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RESPONSABILIDADE SOCIAL CORPORATIVA
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Survey data on public perceptions of salmon aquaculture industry in Norway, Tasmania, and Iceland
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Paths to social licence for tracking-data analytics in university research and services
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The unwritten license: The societal SLO in Latin America’s extractive sector
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An interrogation of the approach to social licence to operate (SLO) on the African continent
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Liquefied natural gas production at Hammerfest: A transforming marine community
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Ethics to Intersect Civic Participation and Formal Guidance
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Biodiversity Conservation in Canada: From Theory to Practice
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- Authors
- Boutilier, R. G.
- Affiliations
- Simon Fraser University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Boutilier, Robert G.
- ORCID
- Boutilier, Robert G.
- Venue
- Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2014-08-30
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 263-272
- ISSN
- 1461-5517 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-5465
- OpenAlex
- W2162024475
- Cited by
- 183
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 15.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Mining and Resource Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Environmental and Social Impact Assessments
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability
- Keywords
- social license to operate, mining industry, stakeholder power, stakeholder engagement, business ethics, political issues, stakeholder networks, frequently asked questions
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