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Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kuran, T; Sunstein, CR
Published in: Stanford Law Review
January 1, 1999

An availability cascade is a self-reinforcing process of collective belief formation by which an expressed perception triggers a chain reaction that gives the perception increasing plausibility through its rising availability in public discourse. The driving mechanism involves a combination of informational and reputational motives: Individuals endorse the perception partly by learning from the apparent beliefs of others and partly by distorting their public responses in the interest of maintaining social acceptance. Availability entrepreneurs - activists who manipulate the content of public discourse - strive to trigger availability cascades likely to advance their agendas. Their availability campaigns may yield social benefits, but sometimes they bring harm, which suggests a need for safeguards. Focusing on the role of mass pressures in the regulation of risks associated with production, consumption, and the environment, Professors Timur Kuran and Cass R. Sunstein analyze availability cascades and suggest reforms to alleviate their potential hazards. Their proposals include new governmental structures designed to give civil servants better insulation against mass demands for regulatory change and an easily accessible scientific database to reduce people's dependence on popular (mis)perceptions.

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Published In

Stanford Law Review

DOI

ISSN

0038-9765

Publication Date

January 1, 1999

Volume

51

Issue

4

Start / End Page

683

Related Subject Headings

  • Law
  • 48 Law and legal studies
  • 1801 Law
 

Citation

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Kuran, T., & Sunstein, C. R. (1999). Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation. Stanford Law Review, 51(4), 683. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229439
Kuran, T., and C. R. Sunstein. “Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation.” Stanford Law Review 51, no. 4 (January 1, 1999): 683. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229439.
Kuran T, Sunstein CR. Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation. Stanford Law Review. 1999 Jan 1;51(4):683.
Kuran, T., and C. R. Sunstein. “Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation.” Stanford Law Review, vol. 51, no. 4, Jan. 1999, p. 683. Scopus, doi:10.2307/1229439.
Kuran T, Sunstein CR. Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation. Stanford Law Review. 1999 Jan 1;51(4):683.

Published In

Stanford Law Review

DOI

ISSN

0038-9765

Publication Date

January 1, 1999

Volume

51

Issue

4

Start / End Page

683

Related Subject Headings

  • Law
  • 48 Law and legal studies
  • 1801 Law