Unpacking the “cultural costs” of social license to operate on environmental governance among ethnic minorities in China

Hui Zhang, Shangxian Shen, Linzi Zheng () and La Zhai
Additional contact information
Hui Zhang: Guangzhou University
Shangxian Shen: Guangzhou University
Linzi Zheng: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
La Zhai: Xiamen University

Palgrave Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract This study explores the role of social license to operate (SLO) in environmental policy governance, focusing on the cultural complexities in ethnic minority regions. It argues that cultural costs, an often overlooked aspect of SLO, play a significant role in shaping community acceptance or resistance. Using a case study from a Yao ethnic community in Guangdong Province, China, the research highlights the unintended consequences of environmental policies, particularly relocation efforts. Findings reveal that such policies are likely to contribute to the erosion of traditional knowledge, the weakening of cultural identity, the restriction of cultural practices, and the undermining of indigenous governance, leading to distrust among the Yao people. This study emphasizes the importance of considering cultural costs in policy design to ensure environmental measures are both effective and culturally sensitive.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-04975-w Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-04975-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/palcomms/about

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04975-w

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Palgrave Communications from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().