Institutionalizing Benefit-Sharing in an Island Energy Transition

This study examines the legitimacy and institutional sustainability of Shinan County’s renewable energy benefit-sharing system in South Korea from the perspective of a just transition. Moving beyond viewing benefit-sharing as a mere compensatory or distributive policy, the study conceptualizes it as a rule-constituted governance mechanism grounded in commons-based resource use. By integrating institutional analysis with the three core dimensions of justice—distributive, procedural, and recognition justice—this research analyzes how ordinance-based rules, participation structures, and perceptions of fairness interact to shape policy sustainability and scalability. Using qualitative document analysis and secondary synthesis of empirical studies, the paper demonstrates that procedural justice exerts a stronger influence on resident satisfaction than the scale of monetary distribution. Recognition justice and locational conditions further mediate perceptions of legitimacy, particularly in geographically constrained island contexts. While Shinan’s distance-based differentiated compensation and resident participation model institutionalize distributive rationality, they may also generate boundary and equity debates if perceived as legitimizing devices rather than as substantively fair arrangements. The findings suggest that long-term sustainability depends less on financial magnitude than on participatory architecture, governance transparency, and capacity-building infrastructures. The study contributes to island studies and energy transition scholarship by proposing an integrated analytical framework for evaluating community-based benefit-sharing systems in vulnerable regions

Citizen journalism · Comparative case · Corporate governance · Distributive justice · Equity (law) · Legitimacy · Procedural justice · Scholarship · Sustainability · Energy and Environment Impacts · Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance