It was fascinating reading blogs and then micro-blogs (Twitter!) and seeing discussions of randomised controlled trials, p-hacking, meta-analyses and so forth unfolding in real time, and my own views intermittently awkwardly evolving. I really appreciated the way your blog post rewound that history.
Yes, a balance of trust and agreed rules is how good markets flourish, but any over-dependency is problematic. I think rotating decision-makers so they don't become rulers and circulating knowledge and access to the decision-making process itself can help. It's basic stuff but difficult in practice.