A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Deliberating Justice in Citizen Jury Processes - Lessons for Just Transitions Governance
Authors: Huttunen, Suvi; Kulha, Katariina; Kyllönen, Simo; Mela, Hanna; Ojanen, Maria; Soini, Katriina; Sorvali, Jaana; Suni, Ninni; Saarikoski, Heli
Publisher: WILEY PERIODICALS, INC
Publishing place: SAN FRANCISCO
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Environmental Policy and Governance
Journal name in source: ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE
Journal acronym: ENVIRON POLICY GOV
Number of pages: 14
ISSN: 1756-932X
eISSN: 1756-9338
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.70010
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.70010
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/499206937
Citizen juries are suggested as an effective tool for promoting just transition to low-carbon societies. However, citizen juries are influenced by participation rules, accepted discourses, and participants' perceptions about the need for climate policies. Therefore, it is crucial to better understand how citizens comprehend and deliberate justice in sustainability transition contexts. We analyzed two citizen juries conducted in Finland. One jury focused on the low-carbon transition in the transport sector, and the other on forest governance. We identified citizens' justice claims regarding the key aspects of justice (distributive, procedural, recognition, and restorative justice), supplemented by global, intergenerational, and ecological justice considerations. We analyzed how these claims developed during the deliberation. The transport jury emphasized distributive and recognition justice and increased awareness of diverse capacities and vulnerabilities related to the mobility transition. This jury also reinforced the participants' expectations regarding the legitimacy of certain nonsustainable lifestyles, such as private motoring. The forest jury emphasized procedural justice and forests as an intergenerational common good, but they also recognized forest owners' rights and legitimate claims for forest income. The juries demonstrate that citizen deliberation helps address justice concerns by revealing jurors' expectations regarding lifestyles and livelihood sources and proposing practical solutions. Our results suggest that citizen juries can enhance the formation of more informed and consistent, and thus legitimate, expectations.
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Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by Research Council of Finland (341398) and Strategic Research Council established within the Research Council of Finland (358410).