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Department of Geography

Conflict Minerals, Inc. – Transnational Regulation, Fragmented Authority and Violent Resource Networks in Eastern Congo

The highly prestigious Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) Award for the best thesis in international relations was attributed to Christoph Vogel’s PhD Thesis on conflict minerals.

Congo's artisanal tin mines
Christoph Vogel
Christoph Vogel

Christoph Vogel’s thesis critically researches the impact of transnational mineral governance on eastern Congo’s tantalum, tin, and tungsten (3T) markets, and analyses how patterns of access, authority, and power are influenced by different regulations. A key question in this context is how such reform processes impinge on (in-)formal mineral markets in conflict areas as well as the everyday negotiation of political, social, and economic relations between the stakeholders. Across key mining sites in the provinces of South and North Kivu, it assesses emerging transnational 3T governance schemes, with a focus on the ITRI Tin Supply Chain initiative (iTSCi).

The Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) Award was established to encourage outstanding young scientists  at the beginning of their careers. Every year, the SNIS Award is granted for the best PhD thesis received in a Swiss University on a subject related to International Studies.

SNIS Award Winners

Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) 

Dr. Christoph Vogel, Political Geography, UZH

Picture: Artisanal tin mines, Congo (C. Vogel)