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Isabel Günther
ETH Zürich
Isabel Günther is a Professor of Development Economics at ETH Zurich. She focuses on responsible mineral and cacao supply chains, global inequality, population economics, and technologies for poverty reduction. She carries out her research on the European and African continent, often working with policymakers, civil society organisations, and private sector actors. She also heads the ETH study programme on Global Cooperation (NADEL), as well as ETH4D, which facilitates research for global development and humanitarian action.
MORE ABOUT ISABEL GüNTHER >2025
Erwin Lefoll, Antoinette van der Merwe, Isabel Günther
Does Responsible Gold Certification Enhance Transparency?: The Knowledge and Communication of Jewellers
The fine jewellery industry has faced increased scrutiny since the ‘blood diamond’ scandal in the 1990s, which exposed severe human rights abuses and the funding of armed conflict through diamond sales. This revelation led to a broader review of mineral sourcing practices, particularly focusing ...
2023
Antoinette van der Merwe, Livia Cabernard, Isabel Günther
Urban mining: The relevance of information, transaction costs and externalities
Mobile phones are one of the most commonly owned personal electronic devices and they contain about 15 different metals, mostly extracted with severe negative environmental externalities. Sourcing metals from retired mobile phones, i.e. urban mining, could alleviate these effects. In this study, we ...
2025
Antoinette van der Merwe, Désirée Ruppen, Fritz Brugger, Hermann Moussa Konkobo, Isabel Günther
Protective behaviour on artisanal gold mines: the relevance of knowledge, risk perception and access to equipment
Many artisanal miners use mercury, a toxic metal, to extract gold from ore, without protecting themselves. In this study, we analyse the role of knowledge, risk perception, and improved access to protective equipment on artisanal miners’ protective behaviour. We combine survey results with a field...
2024
Antoinette van der Merwe, Fritz Brugger, Isabel Günther
Rising Gold Prices but Lower Incomes for Gold Miners: Evidence on Market Imperfections from Burkina Faso during COVID-19
Although artisanal gold mining is known for human rights violations and environmental degradation, it is an increasingly important economic activity in many African countries, with a high potential to alleviate poverty. Due to increased demand for gold investment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the mo...
2020
Selina Bezzola, Fritz Brugger, Isabel Günther, Dawit Sebhatu
Do Social Investments by Mining Companies Harm Citizen-State Relations? Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso
Do mining companies investing in public infrastructure in their host communities harm citizen-state relations? This study presents results from a survey-based field experiment conducted in two mining areas in Burkina Faso. We test whether informing respondents about investments undertaken by mining ...
2022
Selina Bezzola, Isabel Günther, Fritz Brugger, Erwin Lefoll
CSR and local conflicts in African mining communities
Recent research finds that the opening of mines in Africa increases the risk of local protests and conflict. However, few empirical studies have analysed the effect of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) of mining companies on conflicts in extraction areas. This study investigates the relati...
