a href"https:cms.hoover.orgresearchconsensus-trap-how-manufactured-agreement-corrupts-policy" hreflang"en"The Consensus Trap: How Manufactured Agreement Corrupts Policya

We describe a pattern common to three of the most consequential public policy failures of the past two decades—the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic management, and the campaign for rapid decarbonization. While these involve very different sectors, they share a common pathology we call the consensus trap. Each of these failures derives from an alignment of powerful institutions and leaders in manufacturing a consensus not supported by the evidence.