Hidden barriers to growth: How landmines shape economic development
Post-conflict recovery is often framed around rebuilding institutions and restoring safety. But less visible barriers — such as landmines — can continue to shape economic outcomes long after fighting ends.
The challenge:
Landmines remain widespread in many post-conflict countries, restricting movement, deterring investment, and limiting access to markets. While the humanitarian and health consequences of landmines are well documented, much less is known about their broader economic effects. In particular, policymakers lack evidence on whether landmine removal meaningfully boosts economic activity — and if so, how and where demining efforts should be prioritised to support development.
The research:
The researchers study Mozambique, the only country to have moved from widespread landmine contamination to being officially mine-free. They combine detailed data on the location and timing of landmine clearance with satellite measures of local economic activity.
Rather than focusing only on land safety, the study examines how demining affects market access and connectivity. Using a spatial economic framework, the researchers show that clearing landmines increases economic activity primarily by reopening transport routes and improving access to markets, rather than simply making land more productive.
Post-conflict recovery is often framed around rebuilding institutions and restoring safety. But less visible barriers — such as landmines — can continue to shape economic outcomes long after fighting ends.
The challenge:
Landmines remain widespread in many post-conflict countries, restricting movement, deterring investment, and limiting access to markets. While the humanitarian and health consequences of landmines are well documented, much less is known about their broader economic effects. In particular, policymakers lack evidence on whether landmine removal meaningfully boosts economic activity — and if so, how and where demining efforts should be prioritised to support development.
The research:
The researchers study Mozambique, the only country to have moved from widespread landmine contamination to being officially mine-free. They combine detailed data on the location and timing of landmine clearance with satellite measures of local economic activity.
Rather than focusing only on land safety, the study examines how demining affects market access and connectivity. Using a spatial economic framework, the researchers show that clearing landmines increases economic activity primarily by reopening transport routes and improving access to markets, rather than simply making land more productive.
The impact:
The research demonstrates that landmine removal can generate substantial economic benefits — but only when it improves connectivity between people, firms, and markets. This has important implications for governments, donors, and development agencies: demining should be treated not just as a humanitarian intervention, but as a strategic investment in economic infrastructure. By prioritising clearance in locations that unlock transport networks and trade, policymakers can significantly amplify the long-term development impact of demining programmes.