De la controverse à l'acceptabilité sociale : le rôle constructif du conflit

We live in a context of increasing socio-economic-environmental controversies and growing demand for involvement of civil society in decision making processes related to major development projects. Thus, issues related to the process of construction and reconstruction of relationships between compan...

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Main Authors: Sofiane Baba, Chantale Mailhot
Format: Article
Language:French
Published: Éditions en environnement VertigO 2016-05-01
Series:VertigO
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/16917
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author Sofiane Baba
Chantale Mailhot
author_facet Sofiane Baba
Chantale Mailhot
author_sort Sofiane Baba
collection DOAJ
description We live in a context of increasing socio-economic-environmental controversies and growing demand for involvement of civil society in decision making processes related to major development projects. Thus, issues related to the process of construction and reconstruction of relationships between companies and local stakeholders following a controversy are emerging as important objects of study. We are particularly interested in the role of controversies in a so-called socially acceptable approach inquiring how actors can reach an agreement despite deep differences in their values, interests and logics. To do so, we analyze the controversial case of the Great Whale hydroelectric project in depth, a project consisting of three hydropower plants promoted by Hydro-Québec in the late 1980s. On a theoretical level, we rely on the economies of worth approach to reflect on how different actors defend the legitimacy of their position and overcome conflicts. The contribution of this paper is threefold. Theoretically, it consolidates the emerging field of social license to operate by incorporating an unexplored dimension, conflict. By mobilizing the economies of worth framework, it conceptualizes the social license to operate process on a plurality of logics justification and action. It also suggests three mechanisms promoting the social license to operate following a controversy: gradation, devices and bridging practices.
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spelling doaj-art-c36383c98b884036b9e7c0b0e02a5c9d2025-06-27T09:50:29ZfraÉditions en environnement VertigOVertigO1492-84422016-05-0116110.4000/vertigo.16917De la controverse à l'acceptabilité sociale : le rôle constructif du conflitSofiane BabaChantale MailhotWe live in a context of increasing socio-economic-environmental controversies and growing demand for involvement of civil society in decision making processes related to major development projects. Thus, issues related to the process of construction and reconstruction of relationships between companies and local stakeholders following a controversy are emerging as important objects of study. We are particularly interested in the role of controversies in a so-called socially acceptable approach inquiring how actors can reach an agreement despite deep differences in their values, interests and logics. To do so, we analyze the controversial case of the Great Whale hydroelectric project in depth, a project consisting of three hydropower plants promoted by Hydro-Québec in the late 1980s. On a theoretical level, we rely on the economies of worth approach to reflect on how different actors defend the legitimacy of their position and overcome conflicts. The contribution of this paper is threefold. Theoretically, it consolidates the emerging field of social license to operate by incorporating an unexplored dimension, conflict. By mobilizing the economies of worth framework, it conceptualizes the social license to operate process on a plurality of logics justification and action. It also suggests three mechanisms promoting the social license to operate following a controversy: gradation, devices and bridging practices.https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/16917stakeholderslocal communitiesconflictssocial license to operatecontroversies
spellingShingle Sofiane Baba
Chantale Mailhot
De la controverse à l'acceptabilité sociale : le rôle constructif du conflit
VertigO
stakeholders
local communities
conflicts
social license to operate
controversies
title De la controverse à l'acceptabilité sociale : le rôle constructif du conflit
title_full De la controverse à l'acceptabilité sociale : le rôle constructif du conflit
title_fullStr De la controverse à l'acceptabilité sociale : le rôle constructif du conflit
title_full_unstemmed De la controverse à l'acceptabilité sociale : le rôle constructif du conflit
title_short De la controverse à l'acceptabilité sociale : le rôle constructif du conflit
title_sort de la controverse a l acceptabilite sociale le role constructif du conflit
topic stakeholders
local communities
conflicts
social license to operate
controversies
url https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/16917
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AT chantalemailhot delacontroversealacceptabilitesocialeleroleconstructifduconflit