Paper's abstract

Philippe Baumard, The Requiem of Abscons: Perverse Effects of an Extreme Use of the Precautionary Principle
This paper explores the selective perception biases at work in the management of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic crisis during its first phase of growth and following decline (Oct. 2019-Sept. 2020). By mobilizing the theoretical frameworks of strategic learning (proposed by authors such as Cyert, March, Simon, Starbuck), we examine the strategic errors of crisis management, in particular the excessive confidence given to epidemiological models whose conditions of scientific production are discussed here. The article concludes with a reflection on the human capacity to generate strategic voids and then merge into them, failing to learn from past experiences as well as from the very present reality.

Key Words : epidemilogy bias strategic learning
t. 62, 2020 : p. 47-70

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