The Durable Effect of Process on Fairness: Experimental Evidence from Wind Energy Siting

• In Event: New Evidence on Citizen Voice in Development Permitting

Abstract

Does local control over infrastructure permitting increase the perceived fairness of project decisions, even in the context of personally unwanted outcomes? Existing research finds positive correlations among high levels of local control, perceptions of procedural justice, and acceptance of project outcomes. But most of these findings rely on retrospective evaluations, meaning respondents may form their attitudes towards local control based on the outcome. Using a survey experiment, we randomly vary the level of local control in the siting of wind energy as well as whether respondents are informed of the proposal's outcome. Doing so, we find that local control with high levels of community engagement increases the perceived fairness of government action, independent of project outcome. Our findings emphasize the importance of process in the legitimacy of government action and urge caution towards attempts to aggressively strengthen state power over wind energy siting. While some loss of perceived fairness may be worth the increase in energy supply, an accumulation of "unfair" siting decisions may threaten both acceptance of policy outcomes and overall trust in government.

Author

• Michael Hankinson, George Washington University
  Presenting Author