Participatory Governance and Restorative Justice: What Potential Blending in Environmental Policymaking?

Abstract

Over the last decade, participatory governance has acquired a prominent role in the design and delivery of environmental policies and it is considered as essential for achieving ecological and social transition. More recently, the restorative justice approach has entered into the environmental agenda aiming to ensure social and environmental justice by preventing and healing harm to the environment and by empowering communities and victims of environmental harm. In this chapter, Vasilescu explores potential interlinkages between participatory governance and restorative justice to ensure an effective and just ecological transition. More specifically, the chapter explores the goals and values of the two approaches and the main lessons learnt from their application, with the aim of providing an understanding on how to link the two approaches in the design and delivery of environmental policies. Furthermore, the chapter provides an in-depth overview of how restorative justice could overcome some of the pitfalls of participatory governance to ensure a just ecological transition.