Timur Kuran and Cass R. Sunstein
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, this paper analyzes availability cascades and suggests
reforms to alleviate their potential hazards. Its 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.
Stanford Law Review, vol. 51 (April 1999): 683-768.