45
M. Bavinck et al. (eds.), Governability of Fisheries and Aquaculture:
Theory and Applications, MARE Publication Series 7, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-6107-0_4,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
Abstract Social justice fi gures among the key concerns of fi sheries governance. This
is for various reasons; one being that it is an important value in and of itself. Fisheries
governance as a distributional and potentially disempowering or empowering mechanism should be evaluated on the basis of whether it works in accordance with general
justice principles, such as those pertaining to human rights. However, as is argued in
this chapter, justice is also an important governability condition. Without justice,
stakeholders are likely to revolt against governing efforts to sustain the resource or to
promote development. This chapter draws on international experiences to illustrate
what justice as a governance principle implies for fi sheries.
Keywords Interactive governance • Social justice • Governability • Governance
orders • Fisheries
Introduction
The concept of governability, de fi ned by Kooiman ( 2008 : 173) as “the overall
capacity for governance of any societal entity or system,” touches on issues of social
justice in fundamental ways. A system-to-be-governed that is characterized by
inherent inequities and justice disparities among its constituents is likely to experience tensions and con fl icts that might lead to a lack of cooperation and resistance to
governing interventions. A governing system is often held accountable for generating
such problems or blamed for not correcting them.
S. Jentoft (*)
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics ,
University of Tromsø , Tromsø , Norway
e-mail: svein.jentoft@uit.no
Chapter 4
Social Justice in the Context of Fisheries –
A Governability Challenge
Svein Jentoft
M. Bavinck et al. (eds.), Governability of Fisheries and Aquaculture:
Theory and Applications, MARE Publication Series 7, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-6107-0_4,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
Abstract Social justice fi gures among the key concerns of fi sheries governance. This
is for various reasons; one being that it is an important value in and of itself. Fisheries
governance as a distributional and potentially disempowering or empowering mechanism should be evaluated on the basis of whether it works in accordance with general
justice principles, such as those pertaining to human rights. However, as is argued in
this chapter, justice is also an important governability condition. Without justice,
stakeholders are likely to revolt against governing efforts to sustain the resource or to
promote development. This chapter draws on international experiences to illustrate
what justice as a governance principle implies for fi sheries.
Keywords Interactive governance • Social justice • Governability • Governance
orders • Fisheries
Introduction
The concept of governability, de fi ned by Kooiman ( 2008 : 173) as “the overall
capacity for governance of any societal entity or system,” touches on issues of social
justice in fundamental ways. A system-to-be-governed that is characterized by
inherent inequities and justice disparities among its constituents is likely to experience tensions and con fl icts that might lead to a lack of cooperation and resistance to
governing interventions. A governing system is often held accountable for generating
such problems or blamed for not correcting them.
S. Jentoft (*)
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics ,
University of Tromsø , Tromsø , Norway
e-mail: svein.jentoft@uit.no
Chapter 4
Social Justice in the Context of Fisheries –
A Governability Challenge
Svein Jentoft