A better consensus: Changes to the Decadal process itself

TL;DR

This paper proposes reforms to the Decadal Survey process in astrophysics to enhance transparency, legitimacy, and community participation through specific procedural recommendations.

Contribution

It introduces a set of concrete, actionable reforms to improve the Decadal Survey's transparency, inclusiveness, and legitimacy in decision-making.

Findings

Recommendations for transparent appointment processes

Proposal to limit non-disclosure agreements

Encouragement of community feedback and voting

Abstract

The importance of the Decadal Survey in astrophysics is great; it deserves attention and revision. We make recommendations to increase the Survey's transparency and political legitimacy. The Astro2020 charge asks the Survey to "generate consensus recommendations". It is healthy to re-evaluate how to achieve consensus as the community and context evolve. Our recommendations are the following: (R1) Appoint the Decadal panel chairs and panel members through a transparent process, or even a democratic process. (R2) Don't make panel members sign any kinds of non-disclosure agreements, or strictly limit these. (R3) Educate the community about the Decadal's decision-making and consensus-building. (R4) Provide written documentation about how white papers will be read and used. (R5) Give the community an opportunity to comment on and vote to approve the final reports. (R6) Ask the AAAC to help the agencies make these changes.