For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sean Wagner
781-388-8550
journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net
Study Explains Role of Bias in Policy Discussions
Education About Policy Issues May Also Increase Deference to Decision Makers
Tel Aviv, Israel – January 07, 2008 - A new study discusses the ideological and practical challenges faced when trying to engage ordinary citizens in policy decisions. The study, published in Communication Theory, examines how these theories have been translated into practice and provides an outline that can be used to address these challenges.
The debate largely concerns issues such as whether “everyday people” will have the ability to discuss complex policy issues and whether or not people are likely to focus on their own interests and not on the “larger picture.” Also of concern is whether people from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds will have an equal opportunity to be part of the process. For example, people whose workplace may not allow the flexibility of schedule to miss a few hours of work, or those who would not be able to afford childcare.
The analysis suggests that when an effort is made to provide people with mechanisms that enable insight into policy issues, a subtle process takes place in which participants may become sympathetic to policy makers’ point of view. This may lead to a bias toward pragmatic considerations that may override considerations of equity. The study findings also show that it is vital for personal needs and the needs of minority populations to be taken into consideration in logistical arrangements to ensure their participation. Special effort needs to be made to recruit people from diverse backgrounds, and this requires the kind of knowledge that could come from community organization strategies.
To fully participate in public deliberation, people need to be provided with information related to the policy topic, says Dr. Nurit Guttman of Tel Aviv University, author of the study. “However, this very practice can, in fact, bias the participants as they may become more sympathetic to the perspective of decision makers.”
Providing the necessary information for public deliberation is therefore a risky business, as participants may become biased and even compromise their own views as a result of thinking about issues from different perspectives. "A public consultation process needs to employ methods that will ensure that when people learn about complex policy issues at the same time they will also not be influenced in such a way that will make them belittle things they valued before,” says Guttman.
_________________________________________________________________
This study is published in Communication Theory. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net.
Dr. Nurit Guttman, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Communication at Tel Aviv University. She can be reached for questions at gutttman@psot.tau.ac.il.
Communication Theory is an international forum publishing high quality, original research into the theoretical development of communication from across a wide array of disciplines, such as communication studies, sociology, psychology, political science, cultural and gender studies, philosophy, linguistics, and literature. For more information, please visit www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/comt.
Wiley-Blackwell was formed in February 2007 as a result of the acquisition of Blackwell Publishing Ltd. by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and its merger with Wiley’s Scientific, Technical, and Medical business. Together, the companies have created a global publishing business with deep strength in every major academic and professional field. Wiley-Blackwell publishes approximately 1,400 scholarly peer-reviewed journals and an extensive collection of books with global appeal. For more information on Wiley-Blackwell, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com or http://interscience.wiley.com.
