Expanding the Reach of Participatory Risk Management: Testing an Online Decision‐Aiding Framework for Informing Internally Consistent Choices

Abstract

This article presents research aimed at developing and testing an online, multistakeholder decision-aiding framework for informing multiattribute risk management choices associated with energy development and climate change. The framework was designed to provide necessary background information and facilitate internally consistent choices, or choices that are in line with users' prioritized objectives. In order to test different components of the decision-aiding framework, a six-part, 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted, yielding eight treatment scenarios. The three factors included: (1) whether or not users could construct their own alternatives; (2) the level of detail regarding the composition of alternatives users would evaluate; and (3) the way in which a final choice between users' own constructed (or highest-ranked) portfolio and an internally consistent portfolio was presented. Participants' self-reports revealed the framework was easy to use and providing an opportunity to develop one's own risk-management alternatives (Factor 1) led to the highest knowledge gains. Empirical measures showed the internal consistency of users' decisions across all treatments to be lower than expected and confirmed that providing information about alternatives' composition (Factor 2) resulted in the least internally consistent choices. At the same time, those users who did not develop their own alternatives and were not shown detailed information about the composition of alternatives believed their choices to be the most internally consistent. These results raise concerns about how the amount of information provided and the ability to construct alternatives may inversely affect users' real and perceived internal consistency.

We choose what we like – Affect as a driver of electricity portfolio choice

“…We draw on the literature concerning the development and testing of decision support frameworks in order to elicit public preferences regarding the energy system (change) (Bessette et al, 2014;Bessette et al, 2016;Demski et al, 2017;Mayer et al, 2014;Pidgeon et al, 2014). In contrast to the approach applied in the acceptance literature, here the respondents are asked to generate their preferred portfolios based on a set of different energy technologies or conservation measures.…”

Using Public Preferences to Weight Species Prioritization Criteria in Conservation Decision Making: A Case Study to Explore Potential Strengths and Weaknesses

“…This open approach and the abstract ranking have been previously used in decision science research regarding energy policy and showed internally consistent choices (Bessette, Campbell-Arvai, and Arvai 2015).…”

Understanding Local Policy Elites’ Perceptions on the Benefits and Risks Associated with High‐Voltage Power Line Installations in the State of Arkansas

“…From a practical standpoint, our research findings can be utilized to facilitate more effective communications dealing with various risk issues, not necessarily confined to controversies associated with HVPL installations. For instance, the key element for successful risk management strategy, especially in the context of a multistakeholder decision‐aiding framework, is to design a collaborative decision‐making environment where individual stakeholders can actively participate in all decision‐making stages with a high degree of deliberation, which, in essence, requires effective communications among the stakeholders as they share pertinent information supporting their respective decisions . How can we effectively share this decision‐support information with all involved stakeholders?…”

“…For instance, the key element for successful risk management strategy, especially in the context of a multistakeholder decision-aiding framework, is to design a collaborative decision-making environment where individual stakeholders can actively participate in all decisionmaking stages with a high degree of deliberation, which, in essence, requires effective communications among the stakeholders as they share pertinent information supporting their respective decisions. (51) How can we effectively share this decision-support information with all involved stakeholders? An important aspect to consider in responding to this question is that individuals, more often than not, process the given information filtered through their cognitive heuristics in the course of reasoning, and culturally shared norms regarding the preferred nature of social relations, as this research suggests, constitute an important dimension of their cognitive heuristics, which are often long-lasting and resistant to short-term drastic change.…”