Social theories of risk.

Bibliography: p. [365]-397

Contains substantially rev. versions of papers from a workshop, held in Jan. 1990, in Cambridge, Mass. for the purpose of initiating the preparation of this book and additional contributions

Includes index

The role of theory in risk studies; A social and programmatic history of risk research; Concepts of risk: a classification; Cultural theory and risk analysis; Perception of risk: reflections on the psychometric paradigm; The social amplification of risk: progress in developing an integrative framework; The social arena of risk debates; Social drama and risk evaluation; Public wisdom, expert fallibility: toward a contextual theory of risk; Heuristics, biases, and the not-so-general publics: expertise and error in the assessment of risks; Three types of risk assessment and the emergence of post-normal science; Risk and social learning: reification to engagement; A conceptual framework for managing low-probability events; Expert knowledge and public values in risk management: the role of decision analysis; Inconsistent values in risk management; Reflections.