期刊名称：IVM Working Papers / Institute for Environmental Studies, Amsterdam
出版年度：2009
卷号：2009
出版社：Amsterdam
摘要：Over the course of 50 years, UK radioactive waste policy change has been coupled
with institutional change, without much progress towards the ultimate goal of safe,
long-term stewardship of wastes. We explain this history as a search for legitimacy
against a shifting context of legitimation needs and deficits. Following Habermas, we
argue that legitimation is derived from a process of justificatory discourse. In
principle, there must be a reasonable exchange of arguments between diverse parties
in society, based on common norms, for legitimacy to be achieved. We show that the
work of legitimation in UK radioactive waste policy has moved from a focus on
factual validity claims towards an increasing emphasis on deliberative processes.
This reframing of legitimation needs explains institutional and policy changes in UK
radioactive waste policy. The most recent phase of policy and institutional change,
which placed public deliberation about long-term management and disposal options
centre-stage, represents a new step towards bridging legitimation deficits. Plans to
build new nuclear reactors in the UK based on a more closed ‘streamlined’ decision
process risk reversing the legitimacy gains that have been achieved through growing
openness on radioactive waste management.
关键词：Radioactive waste policy; legitimation; deliberative
appraisal; United Kingdom
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