What is the role of consensus statements in a risk society?

Abstract

This paper explores the role of consensus statements in a risk society. It uses Beck’s theory of risk to show that scientists have employed consensus statements in order to re-establish faith in science. Through analysing the goals of participants in consensus fora and comparing them to the fora processes, this paper considers how consensus statements and guidelines in public health can be viewed as remedies for the decline in expert trust experienced in the current risk society. To collect data, 25 interviews were undertaken with consensus panel participants from the USA, UK and Australia. Interviewees were from peak national agencies/commissioning agencies and were categorised as policymaker, practitioner and consumer stakeholders. Participants made recommendations for improving consensus processes in order to mitigate perceptions of risk. These were: (1) clearly stated goals; (2) robust, evidence-based and transparent processes of methodological development and participation/deliberation/decision-making; (3) diverse stakeholder representation, including increased consumer participation; (4) transparency about conflicts of interest; and, (5) robust, carefully worded recommendations. Poor-quality consensus statements can further entrench scepticism about the scientific enterprise. While consensus statements can be seen as a tool for moderating perceptions of risk, policymakers and scientists must ensure the integrity, strength and transparency of their research methods. This has the potential to facilitate policy, improve scientific accountability to the public and legitimise processes. While fostering greater trust is not a primary objective for scientists, an increase in legitimacy of process can be an important unintended consequence of improved quality consensus statements and an important antidote to the risk society.     

Research notes and communications co-ordinating mechanisms,consensus between marketing and manufacturing groups,and marketplace performance

This exploratory study investigated the relationship among use of various co-ordinating mechanisms, degree of consensus between marketing and manufacturing groups, and marketplace performance reputation. Consensus between marketing and manufacturing groups on key competitive strengths, company goals, and implementation actions was measured in 15 firms in the carpet industry. Those firms which made more frequent use of planning techniques (formal forecasting procedures, management-by-objectives linked to performance appraisal, and a written strategic plan) experienced higher levels of interdepartmental consensus. Consensus between departments was strongly related to marketplace performance reputation.     

Rethinking the development agenda

This paper calls for a development agenda based on five majorpremises: (1) a more balanced form of globalisation based ona genuine respect for diversity; (2) a broad view of macroeconomicstability, which provides an adequate role for counter-cyclicalpolicies; (3) the need to complement macroeconomic stabilitywith active productive development policies; (4) strong socialpolicies and the mainstreaming of social objectives into economicpolicies to guarantee adequate linkages between economic andsocial development; and (5) the recognition that developmentinvolves broader human development goals.     

The Asian crisis and the shaping of 'proper' economies

The latter half of the 1990s saw a new international agendadevelop: the ‘strengthening of the international financialsystem’ through the globalisation of standards and codesof ‘best practice’. The author calls for criticalreflection on this normalisation of ‘free market’capitalism and its global enforcement through a comprehensivesystem of economic standardisation and surveillance. To thisend, Michel Foucault's analysis of liberalism is shown to behighly relevant.     

WTO的规则形成机制及其改革

规则的形成机制是世界贸易组织运作的基础。目前WTO的规则形成机制没有公正的反映发展中国家对公平制度的要求,具体表现在WTO的决策机制和谈判程序上。公正规则的缺失使权力渗透在WTO规则形成机制中。随着对规则形成机制的越来越关注,WTO也在内部建立起相应的原则和实践。虽然WTO的规则形成机制趋于成熟,但到目前的运作经验证明本质上它仍然是基于权力的。在全球化不可逆转的深入背景下,必须要进一步完善有关协商一致原则的适用程序、提高其透明度,在此基础上建立成熟的谈判执行机构,同时将对发展中国家的技术援助和能力建设制度化。     

外部环境不确定性、网络惯例与双元创新关系研究

基于河南省部分企业样本数据，实证考察了网络惯例不同构成对双元创新的影响，探讨了外部环境不确定性的不同情境特质对二者关系的调节作用。结果表明，网络惯例的不同维度具有差异化效能，即行为默契正向影响双元创新，而规范共识对双元创新呈倒U型影响。同时，环境动态性能够增强行为默契与双元创新的关系，而削弱规范共识与突破式创新的关系；环境丰富性对于网络惯例与双元创新关系的影响多不显著，只能增强行为默契对渐进式创新的促进作用。研究结论有助于企业依托宏观环境，有针对性地开发、部署网络惯例，以高效开展双元创新活动。     

Assisting consumers in detecting fake reviews: The role of identity information disclosure and consensus

Current discussions in academia and in the press increase consumers’ awareness of potentially deceptive online reviews. The increasing practice of fake reviews posted online not only jeopardizes the credibility of review sites as important information sources for individuals but also endangers a valuable source of information for service providers. Two studies shed further light on the role of consensus and identity-related information in assisting consumers detect potentially faked reviews. In one preliminary study, a sample of 4826 rejected and 4881 published online reviews was analyzed to investigate the differences in the disclosure of author-related information such as name and age as well as star ratings across those reviews. In the main study, a 3 (identity disclosure) x 2 (consensus) x 2 (priming of fake reviews) experiment was carried out with 390 respondents. The results highlight the relevance of the review's consensus in relation to the overall rating of previous reviews and corroborate the results of the preliminary study from the perspective of an internet user: the value of the amount of available information on the review's author in assisting individuals detect potential fake reviews. This study complements research in computer science by highlighting the relevance of contextual—in addition to textual—indicators that assist internet users in detecting potentially deceptive online reviews.     

中国参与国际金融危机治理与西方危机治理模式的比较

与以"华盛顿共识"为代表的西方金融危机治理模式相比,中国参与国际金融危机治理有着自身独特的理念和行为方式,并能够在治理实践中不断拓展和深化。通过两者的对比分析,在借鉴西方有益经验和摒弃失误局限的基础上,中国才能在参与国际金融危机治理过程中发挥自身的优势、做出建设性的贡献。     

关于“北京共识”与“中国模式”的思考

随着中国经济的快速发展,对"中国模式"的研究也日趋广泛和深入,本文对关于"中国模式"的众多问题加以思考,从国际社会对我国的改革理论与发展道路的认知态度的演变中进行分析,到底是"华盛顿共识"还是"北京共识"更能发展本国经济;是拉美模式还是中国模式更能吸引发展中国家和世界的眼光;是中国模式还是中国道路更能概括中国改革开放过程中的经验和教训。     

The effects of 3rd party consensus information on service expectations and online trust

The marketing literature has recently explored a number of ways in which trust can be communicated by Internet retailers, including 3rd party consensus ratings. This paper explores the impact of consensus sequences over time and across high and low ranges, rather than the mere valence of ratings as presented in past research. Second, effects are compared across products with variant levels of risk. Two experiments investigate service quality inferences, expected satisfaction, and trust beliefs for online retailers as outcomes of 3rd party consensus information (i.e., agreement among a firm's past customers). Results indicate that online trust beliefs vary positively with consensus ratings and trust is higher when ratings trends increase rather than decrease. Service quality inferences and expected satisfaction are shown to mediate these relationships. More interestingly, results of study two suggest sequence direction becomes insignificant when ratings do not approach certain range limits (e.g., high, moderate, low cut-offs). Comparisons across products varying in risk show that consensus ratings are more important when consumers evaluate high risk products. Implications for both researchers and practitioners are offered.