scholarly journals Epistemic feature of democracy: The role of expert in democratic decision making

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Ivana Jankovic

In her book Democracy and Truth: The Conflict between Political and Epistemic Virtues, Snjezana Prijic Samarzija advocates that a purely procedural justification which defines the authority and legitimacy of democracy only in relation to the fairness of the procedure itself is not enough for a full justification of democracy. Some epistemic values should also be included. This epistemic quality of democracy depends on the quality of the decisions that the democratic procedures produce. In that sense, the author is advocating a hybrid theory that secures harmony between political and epistemic values, favoring deliberative procedure for this purpose, and thus promotes equal respect for both democratic values. In doing so, she is advocating the specific type of division of epistemic labor that I will attempt to critically re-examine here, as well as to bring into question the privileged role of the experts in democratic decision-making.

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-70
Author(s):  
Snjezana Prijic-Samarzija

The new and vibrant field of the epistemology of democracy, or the inquiry about the epistemic justification of democracy as a social system of procedures, institutions, and practices, as a cross-disciplinary endeavour, necessarily encounters both epistemologists and political philosophers. Despite possible complaints that this kind of discussion is either insufficiently epistemological or insufficiently political, my approach explicitly aims to harmonize the political and epistemic justification of democracy. In this article, I tackle some fundamental issues concerning the nature of the epistemic justification of democracy and the best theoretical framework for harmonizing political and epistemic values. I also inquire whether the proposed division of epistemic labour and the inclusion of experts can indeed improve the epistemic quality of decision-making without jeopardizing political justification. More specifically, I argue in favour of three theses. First, not only democratic procedures but also the outcomes of democracy, as a social system, need to be epistemically virtuous. Second, democracy?s epistemic virtues are more than just a tool for achieving political goals. Third, an appropriate division of epistemic labour has to overcome the limitations of both individual and collective intelligence.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Davide Vittori

Abstract Scholars have long debated whether populism harms or improves the quality of democracy. This article contributes to this debate by focusing on the impact of populist parties in government. In particular, it inquires: (1) whether populists in government are more likely than non-populists to negatively affect the quality of democracies; (2) whether the role of populists in government matters; and (3) which type of populism is expected to negatively affect the quality of liberal-democratic regimes. The results find strong evidence that the role of populists in government affects several qualities of democracy. While robust, the findings related to (2) are less clear-cut than those pertaining to (1). Finally, regardless of their role in government, different types of populism have different impacts on the qualities of democracy. The results show that exclusionary populist parties in government tend to have more of a negative impact than other forms of populism.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Ahlam Ibrahim Wali ◽  
Muzaffar Hamed Ali ◽  
Ahmed Azan Sharif

The aim of the research is to identify the role of strategic thinking patterns (holistic, abstract, diagnostic, schematic) among the university leaders in the faculties of the University of Salahuddin / Erbil. In order to reach this goal, (The type of holistic thinking, the pattern of abstract thinking, the pattern of diagnostic thinking, the pattern of schematic thinking), while the third axis of the dependent variable relates to the quality of administrative decision making. The questionnaire was distributed to 100 respondents Aclasia and the meanings of the deans and heads of scientific departments, has been pursuing the analytical descriptive approach as a way to research was the use of statistical methods SPSS to get to the search results, and research found a set of results 1-There are levels of (types of strategic thinking and quality of administrative decision-making) among the university leaders in faculties of Salahuddin University / Erbil. 2-There is a positive positive relationship between all types of strategic thinking and the quality of administrative decision-making 3- There is a significant impact of the types of strategic thinking in the quality of administrative decision - making. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended that the university leaders at the university be given an interest in strategic thinking as an important factor in the quality of managerial decision making


Author(s):  
G. Olevsky

The article studies role of knowledge in business and analyzes tendencies of the formation of knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (business) in the EU. It is shown that for small and medium-sized enterprises prospects of expansion of knowledge production and sales of products and services are associated with the internationalization of business. The author proposes the matrix of decision-making entrepreneurs, depending on the completeness and quality of information at their disposal on the market.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maqsood Ahmad ◽  
Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah ◽  
Yasar Abbass

PurposeThis article aims to clarify the mechanism by which heuristic-driven biases influence the entrepreneurial strategic decision-making in an emerging economy.Design/methodology/approachEntrepreneurs' heuristic-driven biases have been measured using a questionnaire, comprising numerous items, including indicators of entrepreneurial strategic decision-making. To examine the relationship between heuristic-driven biases and entrepreneurial strategic decision-making process, a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire has been used to collect data from the sample of 169 entrepreneurs who operate in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Amos graphics software. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique.FindingsThe article provides empirical insights into the relationship between heuristic-driven biases and entrepreneurial strategic decision-making. The results suggest that heuristic-driven biases (anchoring and adjustment, representativeness, availability and overconfidence) have a markedly negative influence on the strategic decisions made by entrepreneurs in emerging markets. It means that heuristic-driven biases can impair the quality of the entrepreneurial strategic decision-making process.Practical implicationsThe article encourages entrepreneurs to avoid relying on cognitive heuristics or their feelings when making strategic decisions. It provides awareness and understanding of heuristic-driven biases in entrepreneurial strategic decisions, which could be very useful for business actors such as entrepreneurs, managers and entire organizations. Understanding regarding the role of heuristic-driven biases in entrepreneurial strategic decisions may help entrepreneurs to improve the quality of their decision-making. They can improve the quality of their decision-making by recognizing their behavioral biases and errors of judgment, to which we are all prone, resulting in a more appropriate selection of entrepreneurial opportunities.Originality/valueThe current study is the first to focus on links between heuristic-driven bias and the entrepreneurial strategic decision-making in Pakistan—an emerging economy. This article enhanced the understanding of the role that heuristic-driven bias plays in the entrepreneurial strategic decisions and more importantly, it went some way toward enhancing understanding of behavioral aspects and their influence on entrepreneurial strategic decision-making in an emerging market. It also adds to the literature in the area of entrepreneurial management specifically the role of heuristics in entrepreneurial strategic decision-making; this field is in its initial stage, even in developed countries, while, in developing countries, little work has been done.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-45
Author(s):  
Gyunghoon Kim ◽  
Laura W. Jodice ◽  
Lauren N. Duffy ◽  
William C. Norman

While sustainable tourism and responsible tourism share commonalities of guiding principles, responsible tourism places more emphasis on the behaviors of individual actors. However, little is known about how responsible tourists' behaviors are reconciled by their attitude toward tourism products' economic, cultural, and environmental contribution to a destination. This study explores the role of the tourists' attitude toward mariculture and perception of its benefits within the context of their travel decision-making process. Framed with the theory of planned behavior, this research examines tourists' perception of shellfish mariculture in relationship to their subjective knowledge about mariculture, attitude toward product quality of mariculture, and intention to be involved in marine tourism. This study suggests that the perception of benefits of the product are important considerations when tourists decide their travel activities in coastal destinations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uthpal Kumar ◽  
Saskia Werners ◽  
Sharmishtha Roy ◽  
Sadia Ashraf ◽  
Long Phi Hoang ◽  
...  

Farmers in the lower Bengal Delta around the city of Khulna, Bangladesh, are particularly vulnerable to hydro-climatic variability. Phenomena such as heavy rain, drought and salt intrusion increasingly affect their crop production, with far-reaching socio-economic and environmental impacts. Reliable hydro-climatic information service received in a timely manner could help farmers improve their responses to hydro-climatic variability, thus improving their agricultural decision-making. However, significant challenges persist regarding information uptake and the role of information from the available sources. We designed an explorative research framework combining different participatory methods and analysis of climate data. Our aim was to examine three key research questions: (i) what information is currently available to farmers for agricultural practices and decision-making? (ii) what is the perceived quality of the available hydro-climatic information in response to water and weather related stresses? (iii) how does the available information influence farmers’ decision-making? We found that farmers had access to information from five main sources: informal contacts, formal contacts, education and training programs, traditional media (like television) and modern ICT tools/social media. However, informal contacts, particularly with peer farmers and private input suppliers, were the farmers’ main source, in addition to their own previous experiences. Farmers perceived hydro-climatic variability as high and the quality of available hydro-climatic information as poor. They indicated a need for more accurate, time-specific, trusted and actionable information for improving agricultural decision-making. We conclude that there is high potential and need for hydro-climatic information services tailored for farmers in the study area.


2019 ◽  
pp. bmjebm-2019-111247
Author(s):  
David Slawson ◽  
Allen F Shaughnessy

Overdiagnosis and overtreatment—overuse—is gaining wide acceptance as a leading nosocomial intervention in medicine. Not only does overuse create anxiety and diminish patients’ quality of life, in some cases it causes harm to both patients and others not directly involved in clinical care. Reducing overuse begins with the recognition and acceptance of the potential for unintended harm of our best intentions. In this paper, we introduce five cases to illustrate where harm can occur as the result of well-intended healthcare interventions. With this insight, clinicians can learn to appreciate the critical role of probability-based, evidence-informed decision-making in medicine and the need to consider the outcomes for all who may be affected by their actions. Likewise, educators need to evolve medical education and medical decision-making so that it focuses on the hierarchy of evidence and that what ‘ought to work’, based on traditional pathophysiological, disease-focused reasoning, should be subordinate to what ‘does work’.


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 370-378
Author(s):  
Rami Tbaishat ◽  
Saleh Khasawneh ◽  
Abdullah Mohammad Taamneh

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of decision-makers towards the use of this technology and its impact on access to information and the quality of decision-making. Quantitative methodology was used to obtain the information necessary to achieve the objectives of this study. The results indicated the importance of computer technology in the Jordanian governmental organizations. The results revealed that the majority of the participants expressed positive perceptions about the technology. However, they still expected to have more active role of this technology in government institutions. Also, they provided many of the factors that led to some restrictions on the use of computers. In addition, the study revealed that the demographic characteristics that would hinder perceptions towards this technology seems mostly unfounded. Based on the results of this study, Joradanian government should provide its employees more training and education opportunities on the use of this technology, in order to maintain, improve and increase the use of such technology in the future.


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