Exploring procedural justice in stakeholder identification using a systematic mapping approach

Author(s)
Leonard Kwhang-Gil Lemke, Susanne Hanger-Kopp, Julia Beier
Abstract

In the face of complex societal challenges, stakeholder participation/engagement and knowledge co-production have become increasingly important to the sustainability sciences. Why and how these stakeholders are identified frequently remains unclear, which raises concerns regarding rigor and procedural justice of research processes. Against this background, this paper seeks to contribute to a better understanding of how and why procedural justice issues materialize in stakeholder identification and assess the extent to which they can be addressed. We build on proposals for stakeholder identification in the academic literature that integrate three common approaches: analytical, sampling, and participant-based approaches. Further zooming into these approaches and related methods through a procedural justice lens, we show how the inclusion of stakeholders, the influence of stakeholders on the identification process, and the transparency of the overall identification process matter. We draw upon our own case study experiences to share the lessons learned, including the benefits of systematic mapping approaches for stakeholder identification. We conclude that stakeholder mapping facilitates accurate documenting of identification procedures and supports iterative refinement and adjustments of the stakeholders identified, whilst also creating reflexive potential to address intuitive and past experience-based practices, ultimately opening promising avenues to advance procedural justice in stakeholder identification.

Organisation(s)
Department of Geography and Regional Research
Journal
Environmental Science & Policy
Volume
162
Pages
1-11
No. of pages
11
ISSN
1462-9011
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103900
Publication date
12-2024
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
507024 Environmental policy
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Geography, Planning and Development, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/8fc1b02d-aed4-437c-9da9-3177bd7a7d06