Although a growing number of Third World countries are introducing laws and regulations for their respective small-scale mining sectors, these have not necessarily helped to promote the sector's growth, nor to solve some of the social and environmental problems associated with it. These are some of the main findings of a study carried out by the nongovernment organization Intermediate Technology, with funding from the British Government's Department for International Development. It is a pilot study on small-scale mining legislations, and is designed to provide governments and aid agencies with guidance on suitable policy and regulatory mechanisms.