Article Alert: Justice, community knowledge, and waste facility siting in Taiwan

“Justice, community knowledge, and waste facility siting in Taiwan“
by Mei-Fang Fan, Associate Professor, Institute of Science, Technology and Society, National Yang-Ming University
Public Understanding of Science 2012;21 418-431

Abstract:
This article examines justice in the context of a controversial industrial waste facility siting in a Hakka (a minority ethnic group) town in Taiwan. It provides analysis of local perceptions of disproportionate risk, community knowledge claims, and the challenges of citizens to the controversial environmental impact assessment process. It explores knowledge disputes among regulators, developers, and local activists; it considers the struggle of local actors for recognition and inclusion in decision-making; and it argues for the development of institutional procedures that promote dialogue among stakeholders in order to avoid the preemption of debate, the control of the frame by the government and experts, and the centralization of power.