ABSTRACT
Why do our social institutions seem to get so many decisions wrong? Why are the results of many government initiatives and policies not accepted by those affected? Our institutions struggle to deliver outcomes that are perceived by those affected as fair, even though many decision-makers think they have made fair decisions and the decisions may indeed be fair. This book addresses two questions that help us find answers: why are fairness and justice important, and how can fairness and justice principles be put to better use in day-to-day decision making? As individuals, many of us have a clear idea of what fairness means and why it is important. But achieving a general understanding of what fairness means in the practice of resource sharing is much more difficult. In environmental decision making we do not talk the language of fairness and justice and we do not apply fairness and justice principles routinely. For example, the continuing conflict over renewable wind energy and the placement of wind turbines shows that we need to address fairness and justice in decision making if we are to make progress in implementing alternative solutions to energy production. By understanding the fairness issues and genuine concerns that underlie people’s reluctance to accept decisions, we can make our decision-making processes better. This book shows that there are different forms of justice which influence people’s behaviour within a decision-making process. It shows how institutions can achieve greater acceptance of decisions by the broader community through the application of fairness and justice principles.
