The aim of this experimental scenario study is to examine the effects of giving voice to citizens in the decision-making process of a wind farm implementation on perceived procedural fairness,...Show moreThe aim of this experimental scenario study is to examine the effects of giving voice to citizens in the decision-making process of a wind farm implementation on perceived procedural fairness, trust in the project developer and project acceptance (versus no-voice versus pseudo voice). The effects of voice procedure were examined by means of an experimental study among UK citizens (N = 168). We offer our participants an experimental scenario where a project developer plans to build a wind farm near their house. Depending on the experimental condition, participants were told that they could voice their opinion and that this was considered in the decision-making process (voice), that they could voice their opinion but that this was not considered (pseudo-voice) or that they could not voice their opinion (no-voice). We hypothesised and found that giving voice to citizens increases perceived procedural fairness, which in turn increases trust in the project developer and project acceptance (versus no-voice and pseudo-voice). In addition, this research predicted higher perceived procedural fairness, trust in the project developer and project acceptance in people who were given pseudo-voice compared to no-voice. However, the results did not support this. Other factors found to be positively relating to citizens’ project acceptance were perceived community benefits and general attitudes towards wind farms. This research concludes that giving voice to citizens increases perceived procedural fairness, trust in the project developer and project acceptance, provided that this voice is actually considered by the project developer.Show less
De Europese Unie heeft als doel om in 2050 klimaatneutraal te zijn. Om dit doel te bereiken is het noodzakelijk dat de EU-lidstaten overstappen op hernieuwbare energiebronnen zoals windenergie....Show moreDe Europese Unie heeft als doel om in 2050 klimaatneutraal te zijn. Om dit doel te bereiken is het noodzakelijk dat de EU-lidstaten overstappen op hernieuwbare energiebronnen zoals windenergie. Windmolens stuiten echter op verzet in verschillende lidstaten. Het is daarom belangrijk dat er inzicht gekregen wordt in de factoren die de mate van acceptatie van de bouw van windparken bepalen. Het huidige onderzoek had tot doel om te achterhalen wat het effect is van inspraak door lokale belanghebbenden in de besluitvorming op de acceptatie van de bouw van de windparken, vergeleken met pseudo-inspraak en geen inspraak. Dit werd gedaan door middel van een experimenteel onderzoek, dat voorgelegd werd aan 199 participanten die wonen in het Verenigd Koninkrijk. In het onderzoek werd ook een sequentieel mediatie model getest, dat beschrijft hoe inspraak een positief effect zal hebben op acceptatie, doordat de inspraakmogelijkheid de waargenomen procedurele rechtvaardigheid vergroot, wat vervolgens het vertrouwen in de autoriteit vergroot. Dit verhoogde vertrouwen zorgt vervolgens voor een grotere mate van acceptatie van de bouw van het windpark. De resultaten lieten zoals verwacht zien dat inspraak, vergeleken met pseudo-inspraak en geen inspraak, een positief effect heeft op acceptatie, via de mediatoren. In tegenstelling tot wat voorspeld werd bleek pseudo-inspraak, ten opzichte van geen inspraak, geen significant effect te hebben op zowel de mediatoren als de mate van acceptatie. Ook werd gevonden dat risicopercepties over horizonvervuiling, geluidsoverlast en gezondheidsschade een significante negatieve relatie hebben met acceptatie van het windpark. Theoretische en praktische implicaties van het onderzoek worden besproken.Show less
n order to reach the goals of the international climate treaty, many wind parks must be built to reduce CO2 emissions. These wind park projects however, face a lot of resistance from local...Show moren order to reach the goals of the international climate treaty, many wind parks must be built to reduce CO2 emissions. These wind park projects however, face a lot of resistance from local residents. This experimental scenario study examined what the effect is of giving local residents voice (voice vs. no voice vs. pseudo-voice) in the decision-making process of a wind park project on how local residents perceive the procedural fairness and to what extent they are willing to accept the project. The study also examined whether the effects of voice procedure on project acceptance are mediated by perceived procedural fairness. To examine these effects an experimental scenario study was conducted among residents of the United Kingdom (N = 168). Voice procedure (voice vs. no voice vs. pseudo-voice) was manipulated with a scenario followed by a survey. I predicted and found that offering local residents voice in decisionmaking leads to higher perceived procedural fairness, and as a result to higher project acceptance compared to local residents in the no voice or pseudo-voice situations. Furthermore, I predicted that the no voice situation would lead to higher perceived procedural fairness and project acceptance than the pseudo-voice situation. However, I did not find a significant difference on project acceptance, and the pseudo-voice situation led to higher perceived procedural fairness than the no voice situationShow less
Klimaatverandering beïnvloedt de hele wereld. De CO2-uitstoot is een van de hoofdoorzaken van deze klimaatverandering. Door CO2-uitstoot te verminderen, kan de klimaatverandering worden tegengegaan...Show moreKlimaatverandering beïnvloedt de hele wereld. De CO2-uitstoot is een van de hoofdoorzaken van deze klimaatverandering. Door CO2-uitstoot te verminderen, kan de klimaatverandering worden tegengegaan. Dit kan worden bereikt door bijvoorbeeld windenergie te ontwikkelen. Echter, de huidige implementatie van windenergie, middels het plaatsen van windmolenparken, gaat niet voorspoedig. De implementatie kan worden verbeterd als omwonenden het windmolenpark accepteren. In het huidige experimentele scenario onderzoek is nagegaan of het geven van inspraak, geen inspraak of pseudo inspraak aan omwonenden invloed heeft op de waargenomen procedurele rechtvaardigheid van de besluitvorming en de project acceptatie van een lokaal windmolenpark. Dit onderzoek bestond uit 199 deelnemers die woonachtig waren in het Verenigd Koninkrijk. Afhankelijk van de experimentele conditie lazen de deelnemers dat de inbreng van omwonenden omtrent het windmolenpark al dan niet werd gevraagd en in acht werd genomen. Ik verwachtte en vond dat inspraak aan omwonenden leidde tot meer waargenomen procedurele rechtvaardigheid en meer project acceptatie dan geen inspraak of pseudo inspraak. Daarnaast verwachtte en vond ik dat het positieve effect van inspraak (vs. geen inspraak, pseudo inspraak) op project acceptatie werd gemedieerd door waargenomen procedurele rechtvaardigheid. Verder verwachtte ik dat geen inspraak zou leiden tot meer waargenomen procedurele rechtvaardigheid dan pseudo inspraak, maar ik vond het tegenovergestelde verband. Tot slot verwachtte ik dat geen inspraak zou leiden tot meer project acceptatie dan pseudo inspraak, maar ik vond geen significant verschil. Deze studie toont het belang aan van het raadplegen van de mening van omwonenden, zodat omwonenden procedurele rechtvaardigheid waarnemen en het windmolenpark accepteren.Show less
In the implementation of wind parks, oppositional local residents often affect the development of the projects. Previous research has shown that perceived procedural fairness and trust in the...Show moreIn the implementation of wind parks, oppositional local residents often affect the development of the projects. Previous research has shown that perceived procedural fairness and trust in the project developer are important factors in the implementation of wind parks and can decrease opposition. The present experimental scenario survey study (N = 176) among UK respondents examined whether giving local residents voice (vs. no voice vs. pseudo-voice) in the project implementation, can positively influence perceived procedural fairness of the decision-making process, and in this way increase trust in the project developer. In line with our predictions, we found that having voice resulted in higher perceived procedural fairness of the decision-making process, and as a result higher trust in the project developer, compared to no voice and pseudo-voice. Also, we found that having pseudo-voice led to higher perceived procedural fairness of the decision-making process than no voice. Contradictory with our prediction that no voice would result in higher trust in the project developer than pseudo-voice, we found that trust in the project developer was higher for no voice than pseudo-voice. Additional analyses showed that this effect was mediated by perceived procedural fairness. This surprising finding highlights the importance of the ability for local residents to have voice in decision-making projects, and the detrimental effects on perceived procedural fairness and trust in the project developer when people think their input is not taken into account. To get a clearer understanding on how these effects of pseudo-voice work, more research should be performed.Show less
This paper investigated the effectiveness of three compensation schemes (a mixed institutionalized, a fully institutionalized and a voluntary compensation scheme) in achieving project acceptance in...Show moreThis paper investigated the effectiveness of three compensation schemes (a mixed institutionalized, a fully institutionalized and a voluntary compensation scheme) in achieving project acceptance in the case of a wind energy project development. Here, bribery perceptions and perceived involvement of local residents were looked at as potential mediators. Furthermore, it was examined whether the trust reputation of the project developer influenced the effect of compensation schemes on project acceptance, as well as on the possible mediators. An experimental scenario study (N = 361) with a 3 (Institutionalization: Fully-institutionalized vs. mixed-institutionalized, vs. voluntary) x 2 (Reputation: Good vs. bad) factorial between-subjects design was conducted with project acceptance, perceived involvement and bribery perception as dependent variables. A mixed institutionalized compensation scheme was expected to lead to higher levels of project acceptance, irrespective of the project developers’ trust reputation. Moreover, a fully institutionalized compensation scheme was expected to lead to more project acceptance than a voluntary compensation scheme in the case of a project developer with a bad reputation but not for one with a good reputation. The results provided limited evidence regarding the effectivity of the compensation schemes in achieving high project acceptance. Contrary to expectations, a voluntary scheme resulted in more project acceptance than a fully institutionalized scheme. This effect was explained by the voluntary scheme leading to more perceived involvement which in turn increased project acceptance. Additionally, the analyses showed that a good trust reputation results in higher project acceptance through reduced bribery perceptions and increased perceived involvement.Show less
Community compensation may be offered in return for the adverse local costs of wind farms. In this experimental scenario study, 361 British participants took the position of a resident facing this...Show moreCommunity compensation may be offered in return for the adverse local costs of wind farms. In this experimental scenario study, 361 British participants took the position of a resident facing this hypothetical situation. They learned that the project developer had a positive or negative reputation, and that compensation was being offered by one of three approaches: voluntarily, institutionalized through law, or by a mix of the latter with local involvement in the decision regarding compensation amount. Regardless of the project developer’s reputation, it was predicted that the mixed approach would result in higher local wind farm acceptance, compared to the other approaches. The local acceptance level was expected to be moderated by reputation for the voluntary approach: with a negative reputation leading to lower local acceptance compared to the fully institutionalized approach. Finally, the effects of project developer reputation and compensation approach on local wind farm acceptance were predicted to be mediated by perceptions of bribery and local involvement. The results demonstrated that voluntarily providing compensation led to greater local wind farm acceptance than institutionalizing compensation, whilst the mixed approach did not differ from either approach. When a negative reputation was made salient, the mixed approach resulted in greater bribery perceptions than both of the other approaches. Lastly, a partial mediation indicated the importance of project developer reputation for wind farm sitings: with a positive reputation found to elicit lower bribery perceptions, higher perceived involvement, and as a result, greater overall local wind farm acceptance, than a negative reputation.Show less
