Equity in tourism development: procedural (in)justice and distributive justice in Mongolia, East Asia

Abstract

This paper considers procedural justice and distributive justice as a means of examining equity in tourism development. The geographical focus of the paper is Mongolia - historically a unitary sovereign socialist state in East Asia that, in common with Central Asian republics and in contrast to other parts of the eastern sub-region of the Asian continent (China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan), has been shaped by Stalinist Soviet Union policies. This particular context is interesting not only in terms of consolidation of power, and economic, political and social transition, but also with respect to the nature of material wealth and livelihood options. Equity in tourism development in two rural Mongolian regions is explored with specific reference to the concepts of procedural justice and distributive justice. Drawing on political ecology and actor-oriented approaches, the paper considers equity from the perspectives of five actor groups: local grassroots, people in two geographical areas; private sector tourism operators; Government officials; International Development Organisations and academics; and NGOs. Three periods of fieldwork were conducted, providing qualitative interview data, complemented by non-participant observations, and secondary data. Framework analysis is applied as an analytic induction tool. Five emergent themes are discussed here relating to procedural (in)justice and distributive justice. Inequity was perceived to be rooted more strongly in the processes of tourism development rather than in the outcomes but the inter-related nature of process and outcome, linked to opportunities and capabilities, is noted (Sen, 1984; 1992; 1999).