Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Chapter-17 (section)

===== 17.3.1.3.1 Role of informal processes =====

<div id="h4-5-siblings" class="h4-siblings"></div>

Informal decision-making pervades decision-making in all contexts ( ''high confidence'' ) ( [[#Orlove--2020|Orlove et al., 2020]] ); decisions relating to climate change are affected not only by rational processes but also by many informal, often behavioural responses to the situation, some of which may not require formal processes. Informal processes were officially studied in only a few of the publications contributing to Figure 17.8, but all of the studies have hints to informal decision-making that pervades all levels of governance. Although there are not many concrete studies, citing roles of study participants can lead to a perception of a disconnect between the process and the outcome that resulted (see [[#17.5.1|Section 17.5.1]] for enablers of success).

Generally, while governance requirements may define the processes of formal deliberations and decision-making, informal deliberations will carry on in parallel, supported by social media, and these informal deliberations may be used to affect the outcome of the formal processes. Stakeholders may feel excluded from the formal deliberations either by governance structures or because they do not agree with their representatives. Conflicting value systems may cause some stakeholders to feel side-lined, particularly if some of the key decision makers are perceived holding different personal views and interests or to have engaged in political horse-trading, which connect independent decisions. There may be emotional responses, driven by poor comprehension of risk and probabilistic information, and potential for group biases or insularity of participants ( [[#Engler--2019|Engler et al., 2019]] ). Well-designed decision processes recognise the informal and seek to gain information from it without introducing bias ( ''medium confidence'' ) ( [[#French--2018|French and Argyris, 2018]] ).

<div id="17.3.1.3.2" class="h4-container"></div>

<span id="stakeholder-engagement"></span>