Environmental Conflict over Waste Management and its Implications: The Case of Kimpo Metropolitan Landfill

Nimby has become a very familiar word to people as well as academics or policy makers due to growing conflicts over LULUs in Korea. The progress of democratization and the introduction of local autonomy over the last decade contributed to Nimby syndrom. Nimby was often criticized as selfish, narrow, and local parochial protest having no regard for the collective interest. The negative view describes Nimby as the result of a social dilemma by assuming that the facility is socially desirable as a public good. If, however, the public good assumption is questioned, an assurance game may be a better representation of Nimby conflicts. Local struggles against waste management in recent years in Korea illustrate that people are more concerned about incineration or landfill technology and question the post-treatment waste policy. They are not just Nimbys but the legitimate expressions of environmental and political concerns. Environmental conflicts are created in the process that the communities address qualities ...