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Information, values and expert decision-making: the case of soil decontamination

Policy Sciences volume 49, pages 155–171 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Building on insights from cognitive psychology and scholarship on decision-making, this article examines the respective role of values and information, and the interaction between them, in the formation of expert judgment. We analyze data from an original expert survey on soil decontamination practices and test several hypotheses found in the literature. While it is common to assume that experts rely primarily on factual information when making decisions, we find that values may also orient the judgment of experts when such information is lacking. In such cases, experts may be influenced by their value predispositions, leading to a wider range of expert assessments. Conversely, the judgment of experts who possess the relevant information tends to converge on the best known outcomes. We thus find that relevant knowledge mediates the role of values in expert judgment. While suggesting that some caution should always be taken when deferring to experts, our findings suggest that governments and the public are justified in taking experts’ judgment seriously.

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Notes

  1. There are exceptions: (Tetlock 2005; Weiss 1979).

  2. By valid judgment, we refer to an expert’s ability to propose the best known solution to a specific problem. In the context of the present study, decontamination professionals are hired to advise their clients on the most appropriate means of decontaminating their land. The best known solutions in this case are those that are efficient in the sense of maximizing the output/input ratio, ensuring a maximum of efficacy with a minimum of resources.

  3. While conventional excavation is efficacious, it is also very expensive. Phytoremediation for certain pollutants offers an efficacious way to decontaminate land over a longer time period but at much lower cost. For projects that are not time sensitive, phytoremediation may offer the most efficient solution in terms of maximizing the output-to-input ratio.

  4. Baseball cards are a type of collectible trading card related to baseball. Common in countries where baseball is a popular sport (i.e. North America, some parts of Latin America and Japan), baseball cards can be highly sought after and be of significant monetary value.

  5. However, only experts accredited by the province’s environment ministry are authorized to certify decontamination plans and evaluations as required by law.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support of Genome Quebec and Genome Canada. They also thank the members of Genorem for their contribution to this research, as well as Patrick Fournier, Patrick Marier, four anonymous reviewers and the editorial team at Policy Sciences for their helpful comments and suggestions. Monika Smaz and Irena Nedeva provided excellent research assistance.

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  1. Département de science politique, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128 succ. Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada

    Éric Montpetit & Erick Lachapelle

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  1. Éric Montpetit
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Correspondence to Éric Montpetit.

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Montpetit, É., Lachapelle, E. Information, values and expert decision-making: the case of soil decontamination. Policy Sci 49, 155–171 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-015-9225-x

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Keywords

  • Expert
  • Decision-making
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Values
  • Soil contamination