Risk Uncertainty and Policy

<p>Policy-making has always involved uncertainty; however the presence of unknowns has become far more conspicuous and problematic in recent times. One important way in which policy-makers have increasingly sought to deal with such uncertainty is through approaches rooted in understandings of risk. This book comprises a rather diverse collection of six chapters alongside one more explicitly theoretical introduction each taking up a distinct perspective in scrutinising the relationship between policy risk and uncertainty. </p><p>Important concerns addressed within these different studies include: how risk-governance policies are shaped by risk awareness (or a lack thereof) and the mediating role of trust; the framing of policy through an emphasis on particular risks and the corresponding impact on societal beliefs discourses and institutional power; the organisational processes which lead to some risks being tackled while others are neglected; and processes of (de-) politicising uncertainty at the interface between scientists and policy-makers. Contributors explore trans-national institutions national bodies and local government – within diverse geographical contexts including China Brazil the Baltic Sea Australia the UK and Europe. This book was originally published as a special issue of the <i>Journal of Risk Research. </i></p>