CHOICE

--what choices are being made?

--how has the choice been framed ?

--by whom?

--why?

--what options have already been eliminated?

--by whom?

--why?

--who is doing the choosing?

-- “experts”?

--which ones?

--what is the basis of their expertise?

-- members of the community expected to benefit from the choice?

--see “benefit” below

--members of the community bearing the cost of the choice?

--see “cost” below

--members of the community bearing the risks of the choice?

--see “risk” below

ACCESS

--how and why access to knowledge or technology is controlled and distributed

--Before:

--who has access to the information necessary to participate in the choice process?

--if access to such information is being actively limited, why and on what basis is access granted?

--if access to such information is being passively limited, what barriers to access exist and how might they be eliminated? (such barriers might be technological, educational, economic or bureaucratic, for instance)

--After:

--access to knowledge or technology may be limited as a result of the choice being considered

--these barriers may be active or passive

--have the potential limits to access been evaluated as part of the costs and benefits of the choice?

RISK

--what risks are involved?

--how is risk being defined?

--by whom?

--how is risk being measured and weighed?

--by whom?

--are potential risks not easily quantified being eliminated or minimized in the decision process?

--how are long-term risks being weighted relative to short-term or immediate risks?

--are those potentially at risk involved in the decision making process?

--is this a self-defined or an externally defined group?

--if those at risk are included, at what stage of the process?

--what weight are their concerns being given in the decision-making process?

COST

--what costs are involved?

--how is cost being defined?

--by whom?

--does “cost” mean just “dollars and cents” or does it include other impacts such as economic, environmental, and social impacts?

--how is cost being measured and weighed?

--by whom?

--are potential costs not easily quantified being eliminated or minimized in the decision process?

--how are long-term costs being weighted relative to short-term or immediate costs?

--are those expected to bear the cost involved in the decision making process?

--is this a self-defined or an externally defined group?

--if those bearing the cost are included, at what stage of the process?

--what weight are their concerns being given in the decision-making process?

RESPONSIBILITY

--responsibility may be an issue with regard to any issue of choice, access, cost, risk, or benefit

--responsibility may lie at any one of, or at several of, the following levels:

--individual

--social

--professional

--governmental

--how is responsibility being defined?

--moral / ethical?

--financial?

--rules (including laws)?

--other?

--how is responsibility being assigned or assumed?

--by whom?

--limited or unlimited?

--for choosing, for implementing the choice, or for the outcomes of implementation?

--for what period of time?

--for intended or unintended outcomes?

BENEFITS

--what are the potential benefits?

--how is benefit being defined?

--by whom?

--how is benefit being measured and weighed?

--by whom?

--are potential benefits not easily quantified being eliminated or minimized in the decision process?

--how are long-term benefits being weighted relative to short-term or immediate benefits?

-- are the benefits widely or narrowly distributed?

--are those expected to reap the benefits involved in the decision making process?

--is this a self-defined or an externally defined group?

--if those expected to benefit are included, at what stage of the process?

--what weight are their concerns being given in the decision-making process?

-- to what degree do those benefiting from a given choice:

--bear the responsibility?

--accrue the costs?

--take the risks?