Roles of Moral Foundations and Empathic Concern on Rights of Public Decision-Making for Geological Disposal Facilities: Why is it Self-evident that “the Concerned Party should be the Decision-Maker” in the Context of NIMBY Facilities?1

Abstract

When the location of NIMBY (not in my backyard) facilities is focused, legitimate decision-making rights tend to be preferentially given to local residents, an attitude defined as a superior legitimization of the concerned parties. Moral foundations and empathic concern are hypothesized to predict the process of superior legitimization of the concerned parties. We conducted an experiment wherein participants evaluated the legitimacy of residents and government agencies in view of the site selection of a geological disposal facility focused on ingroups or outgroups. In both groups, the legitimacy of the residents was notably higher, and the roles of moral foundations and empathic concern on the judgment of legitimacy were indicated. One reason why residents are self-evidently legitimatized superiorly in the context of NIMBY facilities, therefore, should be that such judgments are based on intuitive moral judgment and empathic concern.