Authored by Gretel Cuevas Verdin, Baptiste Andrieu, and Jonathan M. Cullen, and published by Elsevier in Resources Policy, The critical minerals value-addition myth critiques the policy narrative that global demand for critical minerals guarantees economic upgrading for mineral-rich nations. Combining Global Value Chains framework with political economy, the study compares required productive complexity against existing national capabilities and corporate mine ownership. The findings reveal that many low- and middle-income countries lack both the material prerequisites and trade influence to move beyond extraction, as value capture remains heavily constrained by multinational lead-firm governance.
