consecenties

Consecenties is a theoretical construct in political philosophy and social science describing the level at which decisions are perceived as legitimate by a population. It rests on three interdependent dimensions: consent (the voluntary agreement of individuals or groups to proposed policies), consensus (the broad alignment of values and expectations across a community), and consequences (the anticipated and actual effects of implementing the policy). The term blends consent and consequence to capture legitimacy beyond formal legality or majority rule. It is used in both real-world normative analysis and speculative worldbuilding to assess how policy quality translates into social acceptance.

In governance, policies with high consecenties are more likely to achieve stable compliance, purposive participation, and durable trust, while low consecenties predict resistance or erosion of legitimacy even when laws are technically enforceable.

Measurement of consecenties involves assessing each dimension: consent through participatory processes or surveys; consensus through representation and deliberation metrics; consequences through outcome-focused risk assessments and longitudinal studies. However, the concept is difficult to quantify because perceptions change with context, time, and information availability, and because there may be trade-offs among the three dimensions.

Critics argue that an overemphasis on perceived legitimacy can suppress minority rights or obscure injustices, and that the concept risks being manipulated by actors who game consent or propaganda to improve perceived legitimacy. Despite limitations, consecenties provide a useful frame for evaluating political and organizational decisions where legitimacy is central.

See also: legitimacy, social contract, policy evaluation.