Can we better predict or mitigate the consequences of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes? Can we reduce the number of oil spills? And what should be done to clean up the mess when something does goes wrong? Why are people concerned about nuclear plants, but so reckless when they go skiing, or when they drive their motor cars? And how can we ensure that experts and ordinary citizens exchange meaningful information about hazards? Over the past fifty years or so, eminent scholars from the decision sciences, geography, sociology, anthropology, and many other fields, have offered useful pointers towards finding an answer to these and other crucial questions. Their prolific and converging efforts have established Risk Analysis as a vivid new discipline, a discipline which this new Routledge collection enables users to discover-or to understand better. The collection conveys essential lessons about how risks can be better assessed. Sophisticated models about the probability and magnitude of harms have been developed and tested in a variety of fields, for example, by engineers trying to build safer plants, or by toxicologists trying to understand the pathways of pollutants. The materials gathered here also help us to understand how powerful perception drivers shape our views of different risks and, as a consequence, how risk communication may be best conducted. Risk also brings together and makes sense of a body of knowledge that has allowed the development of specific methods to join together these two crucial elements into a coherent management 'whole'.

As there has been a continued increase in the demand for higher levels of safety, security and reliability for all critical infrastructures, the design, construction, and operation of dams should be integrated as part of a comprehensive risk management framework that can effectively address natural and manmade hazards. As an effect, in recent years integrated management strategies have become more and more important, and as such, their related implementation efforts should include aspects such as sustainability, resilience, and public participation. Risk Analysis, Dam Safety, Dam Security, and Critical Infrastructure Management offers the state of the art on risk analysis, representing a primary tool for achieving effective management of critical infrastructures along with a suitable framework for the development of risk management models regarding natural, technological and human-induced hazards.

This new anthology is a comprehensive introduction to the field of risk theory. The introduction provides the ideal starting point for students and professionals new to risk studies and offers a concise refresher for researchers and practitioners. Coverage includes the origins of the 'concept of risk' and its often misunderstood cousin 'uncertainty, ' before moving on to address risk perception, risk communication, the idea of trust and post trust as well as risk in policy and regulation with a close look at the Precautionary Principle. Following the introduction, the volume includes a selection of the most significant and influential works on risk in their entirety. These selections, organized thematically to cover the breadth and depth of the field, provide greater detail and elaborate on the key themes and major developments in risk studies. Together they comprise the essential literature necessary for a full understanding of risk theory and practice on any issue and in any context.

The question as to whether we are now entering a risk society has become a key debate in contemporary social theory.Risk and Technological Culture presents a critical overview of the main theories of risk - from Ulrich Beck's foundational work to that of his contemporaries Anthony Giddens and Scott Lash - and assesses the extent to which risk has impacted on modern societies. In this discussion, van Loon demonstrates how new technologies are transforming the character of risk, and examines the relationship between technological culture and society through substantive chapters on topics such as ecology, violent crime and communication technologies. In so doing, this innovative new book extends the debate to encompass theorists such as Jean-François Lyotard, Bruno Latour and Donna Haraway.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203466381