ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a model of individual decision making and the concept of "informed choice." Informed choice requires competence of three kinds: fact competence, value competence, and cognitive competence. The chapter considers just one aspect of making informed choices--the use of public input. It argues that the discussion of values and informed choice at the level of the individual will contribute to an understanding and improvement of decisions in the broader social context. Suppose there were a meaningful, valid, and generally accepted index for measuring the social impact of visual air quality (VAQ). Putting a specific value on VAQ is important because public policy decisions affect VAQ as well as energy, economic development, environmental quality, and wilderness preservation. Knowledge of public values may be considered part of the fact competence required for informed choice. As a method for obtaining useful public input for informed choice, bidding methods do not solve problems of competence.
