Justice Conflicts and Natural Resources

Abstract

Conflicts over natural resources have been on the research agenda for at least the last three decades. However, empirical research has so far mostly focused on the causal impact of natural resource scarcity or abundance as a driver of conflict at different geographical scales. What has often been neglected in this context is the extent to which normative perceptions of justice underlie these struggles. Conflicts over natural resources touch upon various dimensions of justice: On the one hand they can arise over material distribution. This is the case, for example, when land or property rights or revenues from resource exploitation are disputed. But distributional conflicts also arise with regard to ‘environmental bads’ such as soil pollution. On the other hand conflicts can also relate to more procedural conceptions of justice where recognition and representation of local communities are at stake because the latter do not feel sufficiently represented or view resource exploitation as another symptom of cultural domination and ill-recognition. The panel aims at integrating concerns about distributive and procedural justice into the analysis of natural resource conflicts. And it looks to conflicts on various levels (local, national, global) between various types of actors (communities, corporations, governments). Papers may focus on violent or non-violent conflicts and may address the relation between justice and conflicts about natural resources from a variety of perspectives. This includes questions such as: What is the (causal) role of justice in conflicts over natural resources between various actors groups? Do different conceptions of justice have a different impact? What are the normative problems of justice that arise in the context of resources extraction and use? Can politics of justice contribute to resolving conflicts over natural resources and if yes, under which conditions?  

Title	Details
Conflicts over Biological Resources: Does the Global Environment Facility Promote Just Solutions?	View Paper Details
Legitimate Markets for Carbon and Genetic Resources? Struggles over Justice in UN Environmental Negotiations	View Paper Details