Participation · Research & Academia · Research & Evidence

What could a new field of evidence reveal?

What makes judgment transferable across people, institutions and borders is an open question. The Trust Ledger Project is building the evidence base, and the propositions it rests on can be tested and may be wrong.

— 01. The untapped potential

Which open questions could shape the field?

A field with testable propositions and little evidence yet.

The six conditions. Do they hold across economies, cases and counter-cases?
The four-era periodisation. Does it fit the historical record?
Referenceability in the field. Three sectors point one way. Many more are needed.
Measurement. How could trusted judgment be measured and accounted for in an economy?

Consider a body of evidence that policy-makers, institutions and markets can rely on because the research itself carries provenance.

Evidence class: research hypothesis. These are propositions we are testing. Field results so far support a research proposition, not a universal law.

History tip · who moved early

In Birmingham a small circle of industrialists and scientists met regularly to share knowledge. The factory system followed from that cluster. Early participation can look like a standing conversation.

Next: what participation could look like →

— 02. Three questions

Which three questions do we work through together?

Enter, do, ship out. Three questions, one conversation.

Question 1 · Enter

How does a researcher enter?

Read the Historical Foundation and the Eras reference.
Identify the propositions and where evidence is thin.
Choose a proposition that fits your field.

Question 2 · Do

What could a researcher do once there?

Test the six conditions against cases and counter-cases.
Challenge the periodisation and the falsification claims.
Contribute field evidence, replications or critiques.

Question 3 · Ship out

What should be published, and under what conditions?

Agree attribution and publication terms.
Set data and consent standards for field evidence.
Report negative results as well as supportive ones.

The Trust Ledger Project goes ahead into the reconfigured Information Market, so you can decide whether and how to take part.

Forms of participation we can examine together:

Co-authoring working papers.
Replicating field studies in new sectors.
Supplying counter-cases.
Reviewing drafts of the standard.

Evidence class: working framework. These are possibilities to discuss, not commitments.

— 03. The first conversation

What does a first conversation involve?

A shared question, not a commitment.

It is

A conversation about questions

A discussion of questions, possibilities and evidence.
A chance to test whether the questions matter to your work.
A first look at what we have published and what we are still testing.

It is not

A request for anything up front

Not a request to accept a particular theory.
Not a request for confidential information.
Not a commitment to collaborate before trust is established.

We share unpublished work only in appropriate conversations.

— Participation

Where might your institution contribute?

Four ways in. Start a conversation where your experience fits.

The Trust Ledger Project is being developed through research, dialogue and practical examination. We invite institutions and individuals with relevant experience to discuss the questions, possibilities and evidence that may shape its development.

Sovereign Institutions

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