Public Engagement in Social-Ecological Systems Management: An Application of Social Justice Theory

ABSTRACT

Public engagement is important for improving outcomes of social-ecological systems management. We used a social justice theoretical framework to measure residents’ attitudes toward public engagement processes and satisfaction with outcomes of a restoration project in Western Montana. We predicted process control and decision control domains of procedural justice would significantly predict stakeholder satisfaction, with decision control partially mediating the relationship between process control and satisfaction. We tested these predictions using a path analysis of intercept survey data collected from residents within the project area. We found process control had a significant and positive effect on satisfaction but was fully mediated by decision control, suggesting that successful engagement requires opportunities for stakeholders not only to participate but to clearly shape decisions and outcomes. We discuss implications for public engagement, human dimensions research, and social monitoring of social-ecological systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Citizen participation
• ecological restoration
• environmental justice
• procedural justice
• resilience
• social psychology

Acknowledgments

This material is based on work supported by the Montana NSF EPSCoR Program and the National Science Foundation under award number IAA-1443108. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The authors sincerely thank the reviewers for their constructive feedback, Mr. Ryan Barr for his days afield, the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation staff for their essential support, and most of all, the residents of Bonner-West Riverside for sharing their important perspectives.

Notes

Another domain, interactional justice, or the “quality of interpersonal treatment people receive when procedures are being implemented,” has been developed and debated throughout organizational research, but is not central to our research questions (Colquitt et al. 2001, 426).

The majority of respondents completed the survey in person; only nine were completed online.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research [Grant Number IAA-1443108] and National Science Foundation [Grant Number IAA-1443108]