TY - JOUR

T1 - The relationship between risk control imperative and perceived causation

T2 - the case of product counterfeiting in China

AU - Ding, Bin

AU - Stevenson, Mark

AU - Busby, Jeremy Simon

N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Risk Research on 08/01/2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13669877.2015.1121903

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - The counterfeiting of safety critical products such as pharmaceuticals is a significant risk to public safety, but the literature suggests that much of the causation of counterfeiting is endogenous: the decisions of legitimate producers and consumers facilitate or incentivize the manufacture of counterfeits. This study examined what effect the perceived causation of counterfeiting risk (both the causes of counterfeiting, and the consequences caused by counterfeiting) had on the risk control imperative: the belief that more resources should be allocated to controlling this risk. This involved a questionnaire survey of individuals in China, asking them to respond to the risks arising from the counterfeiting of specific safety-critical product types. The study found that although some causes of counterfeiting were emphasized much more strongly than others (notably the failure of the authorities, profiteering among legitimate producers and the presence of criminal organizations), the less emphasized causes were still judged as being relevant. The study found that the association between the risk control imperative and both the perceived scale of risk and its causal origins varied across different product types. In one case, the scale of risk was virtually unrelated to control imperative, but in all cases, at least one of the causal factors, and at least one of the consequential factors, explained variation in control imperative. A qualitative comparative analysis also indicated specifically that control imperative was lower if an actor who was strongly implicated in the cause of the risks was also a bearer of the risks.

AB - The counterfeiting of safety critical products such as pharmaceuticals is a significant risk to public safety, but the literature suggests that much of the causation of counterfeiting is endogenous: the decisions of legitimate producers and consumers facilitate or incentivize the manufacture of counterfeits. This study examined what effect the perceived causation of counterfeiting risk (both the causes of counterfeiting, and the consequences caused by counterfeiting) had on the risk control imperative: the belief that more resources should be allocated to controlling this risk. This involved a questionnaire survey of individuals in China, asking them to respond to the risks arising from the counterfeiting of specific safety-critical product types. The study found that although some causes of counterfeiting were emphasized much more strongly than others (notably the failure of the authorities, profiteering among legitimate producers and the presence of criminal organizations), the less emphasized causes were still judged as being relevant. The study found that the association between the risk control imperative and both the perceived scale of risk and its causal origins varied across different product types. In one case, the scale of risk was virtually unrelated to control imperative, but in all cases, at least one of the causal factors, and at least one of the consequential factors, explained variation in control imperative. A qualitative comparative analysis also indicated specifically that control imperative was lower if an actor who was strongly implicated in the cause of the risks was also a bearer of the risks.

KW - product counterfeiting

KW - public safety

KW - perception of causation

KW - control imperative

U2 - 10.1080/13669877.2015.1121903

DO - 10.1080/13669877.2015.1121903

M3 - Journal article

VL - 20

SP - 800

EP - 826

JO - Journal of Risk Research

JF - Journal of Risk Research

SN - 1366-9877

IS - 6

ER -