|
|
Article: The law of unintended consequences.(Information Trends)
- Article from:
- Information Outlook
- Article date:
- December 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Special Libraries Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Rob Norton, former economics editor at Fortune, says that "the law of unintended consequences, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of people--and especially of government--always have effects that are unanticipated or 'unintended.' Economists and other social scientists have heeded its power for centuries; for just as long, politicians and popular opinion have largely ignored it."
This law is more easily understood with a metaphor and a story. Many of you will know about the passenger pigeon, which numbered in the billions in the early part of the 19th century and became extinct when the last known representative, Martha, died in captivity on September ...