Into the Black Box of Transformative Justice: How Money Becomes Justice in the Distribution of Shell Compensation in the Niger Delta

We know a lot about how people seek compensation through court after institutional injustice. But it remains a mystery how this justice reaches them. How does money become justice? This research dives into this “black box” of transformative justice. It studies the distribution of Shell compensation to harmed communities in the Niger Delta. We were approached by Milieudefensie, in charge of this distribution, with the unique offer to study a process usually inaccessible to researchers. This research will show how “small,” seemingly technical decisions can have “big” impact on relations and experiences of justice.