Journal article
Voice, power, and history: ensuring social justice for all stakeholders in water decision-making
Local Environment, Vol.22(9), pp.1042-1060
2017
Abstract
Public participation in water decision-making is an accepted and expected practice. It is expected to lead to better decisions and ensure fairness by satisfying peoples' understanding of democracy and their "right" to participate in decisions that affect them. However, despite years of experience and "best practices", governing bodies at all levels struggle to implement successful, genuine participation that leads to fair decisions. Ultimately, decision-making about natural resources such as water is a process that takes place in a wider power context where some groups have greater access to sources of power and entitlements. This research applies a "Social Justice Framework" (SJF) to examine the experiences of different stakeholder groups in making their voices heard during water reform processes in the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia. The experiences of croppers and graziers in two different floodplains show how historical advantages and disadvantages affect the power balance between different stakeholder groups and their ability to participate in and influence water decision-making. Applying the three components of the SJF, distributive, procedural and interactive justice, in water decision-making should lead to greater equity in distribution and underline the importance of good governance in decision-making processes.
Details
- Title
- Voice, power, and history: ensuring social justice for all stakeholders in water decision-making
- Authors
- Anna Lukasiewicz (Author) - Australian National UniversityClaudia Baldwin (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts and Business
- Publication details
- Local Environment, Vol.22(9), pp.1042-1060
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2017
- DOI
- 10.1080/13549839.2014.942261
- ISSN
- 1354-9839
- Organisation Unit
- School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Engage Research Lab; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99448871702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Regional & Urban Planning
- Urban Studies
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