Decision-Making in Participatory Value Evaluation

Abstract

In this report the potential effect of framing on the decision-making process in participatory value evaluation is researched. Participatory Value Evaluation, PVE, is a method of evaluating citizens preference targeted towards public projects and their budget. For instance, PVE can measure the preference of citizens when allocating alternative infrastructure projects with a set budgetA gap in knowledge is found in the decision-making process of the method. The validity of participatory value evaluation is potentially affected by cognitive bias effects such as framing. The main question of this research is: Is there a measurable difference in outcome of the decision-making process between emphasis-framed alternatives within the participatory value evaluation method? The used method is a between-subject design, laboratory experiment. Three versions of the same basic PVE are constructed. A control version with neutral descriptions of the potential projects, and two framed versions through the structure of one-sided emphasis framing. A convenience sample of 181 participants is used, with each version of the PVE receiving roughly 60 participants. The three versions of the PVE were kept exactly the same with exception of the framed descriptions. A difference between the groups is shown to be significant on a project level in six out of six tested projects. Concluded is that, in general, emphasis-framing has an effect on the decision-making in PVE. The effect of framing is argued to have a limitation. When participants feel strongly about a certain topic, the frame influences the outcome less, this is known as issue importance. Recommendations to further research are made, as a method for mitigating the influence within PVE can be researched. The impact of overall presentation of different projects, in terms of framing with images, or extensive project descriptions, can be researched. Expert interviews were conducted, to gain insight in how the PVE method is perceived by policy-makers. The overall consensus is that PVE is a useful method of involving citizens. The PVE can be used by policy-makers as an advisory tool. Framing within PVE, is unwanted when testing the preferences of the citizens. However, it might be useful to emphasise the importance of certain projects. Therefore, it is argued that the use of framing should be an ethical consideration.