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Risk Conundrums: Solving Unsolvable Problems
by Roger E KaspersonA risk conundrum can be viewed as a risk that poses major issues in assessment, and whose management is not easily engaged. Such perplexing problems can either paralyze or badly delay risk analysis and directions for progression. Rather than simply focusing on the progress in risk analysis that has already been made, it is crucial to consider what has been learnt about these seemingly unmanageable problems and how best to move forward. <P><P> Risk Conundrums seeks to answer this question by bringing together a range of key thinkers in the field to explore key issues such as risk communication, uncertainty, social trust, indicators and metrics, and risk management, drawing upon case study examples including natural disasters, terrorism, and energy transitions. The initial chapters address risk conundrums, their properties, and the challenges they pose. The book then turns to a greater emphasis on systemic and regional risk conundrums. Finally, it considers how risk management can be changed to address these unsolvable conundrums. Alternative pathways are defined and scrutinized and predictions for future developments set out. <P><P> This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of risk governance, environmental policy, and sustainable development.
Risk, Disaster, and Vulnerability: An Essay on Humanity and Environmental Catastrophe
by S. Ravi RajanOver the course of the past century, there has been a sustained reflective engagement about environmental risks, disasters, and human vulnerability in our modern industrial world. This inquiry has raised a host of crucial questions. Just how safe is humanity in a world of toxic chemicals and industrial installations that have destructive potential? Is it feasible to prevent large-scale catastrophes like the ones in Bhopal, Chernobyl, and Fukushima and smaller-scale disasters such as oil spills and gas leaks? How do environmental hazards affect social and political orders? S. Ravi Rajan expertly synthesizes decades of public policy and academic discourse on how societies measure and ultimately come to terms with risk, danger, and vulnerability and offers a fresh, humanistic perspective for grappling with the new global scale and interconnectedness of these threats.
Risk, Education and Culture (Routledge Library Editions: Sociology Of Education Ser. #1)
by Andrew HopeIn recent years education has become increasingly perceived as an area of risk. A number of highly publicized incidents have heightened awareness of the potential dangers to be found in teaching institutions. Although there is now a substantial conceptual literature on risk and the meaning of the risk society, such ideas have not to date been rigorously applied to the educational sector. The authors of this innovative volume address this gap, discussing the relevance of risk discourses to educational processes. They recognize that risk discourses themselves (both academic and political) do not necessarily relate to actual dangers within education and they examine the differences between the risk narratives of expert and layperson, teacher and student, practitioner and academic. This book will greatly interest both sociologists and educationalists interested in the interaction between education and contemporary trends in society.
Risk, Global Governance and Security: The Other War on Terror (Routledge Global Security Studies)
by Yee-Kuang Heng Ken McDonaghThis book applies risk society theory to the 'War on Terror', steering the discussion away from the militaristic discourse of the Bush era towards an emphasis on global cooperation and a new cosmopolitan agenda. The literature and rhetoric of the 'War on Terror' has been dominated by dramatic high-profile military campaigns and division in the international community. This overlooks the various multilateral practices and cooperative processes that are emerging to combat global terrorism. President Bush himself had initially been at pains to stress that his 'war' on terror would be like no other; it would involve not just military tools but financial, intelligence, police and diplomatic measures too. More than eight years later, the time is right for an in-depth evaluation of this 'other' war on terror. Yet these relatively mundane regulatory dimensions have received much less attention than the 'hot' wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, where ongoing difficulties suggest that military force alone is inadequate in controlling globalised terrorism. This book aims to redress this imbalance, by foregrounding these initiatives, tracing their implementation and reflecting on the implications for International Relations. Adopting an analytical approach that seeks to incorporate theories of risk, global governance and security, this book aims to explore the overlapping multi-level and multi-lateral dynamics of the emerging global security architecture which have remained neglected and unmapped thus far in the war on terror. This book will be of interest to students of risk politics, security studies, global governance and IR in general. Yee-Kuang Heng is Lecturer in International Relations, University of St Andrews, UK. Kenneth McDonagh is Lecturer in International Relations in the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University.
Risk Habitat Megacity
by Bernd Hansjürgens Dirk Heinrichs Francisco Martínez Kerstin KrellenbergMegacity development and the inherent risks and opportunities for humans and the environment is a theme of growing urgency in the 21st century. Focusing on Latin America where urbanization is most advanced, this book studies the complexity of a 'mega-urban system' and explores interrelations between sectors and issues by providing an in-depths study of one particular city, Santiago de Chile. The book attempts to (i) focus on the emergence of risk in megacities by analyzing risk elements, (ii) evaluate the extent and severity of risks, (iii) develop strategies to cope with adverse risks, and (iv) to guide urban development by combining concepts with empirical evidence. Drawing on the work of an interdisciplinary and international consortium of academic and professional partners, the book is written for scholars in cross-cutting areas of urban, sustainability, hazard, governance and planning research as well as practitioners from local, regional and international organizations.
Risk Inequality and Welfare States: Social Policy Preferences, Development, and Dynamics (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)
by Philipp RehmThe transformation of night-watchman states into welfare states is one of the most notable societal developments in recent history. In 1880, not a single country had a nationally compulsory social policy program. A few decades later, every single one of today's rich democracies had adopted programs covering all or almost all of the main risks people face: old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment. These programs rapidly expanded in terms of range, reach, and resources. Today, all rich democracies cover all main risks for a vast majority of citizens, with binding public or mandatory private programs. Three aspects of this remarkable transformation are particularly fascinating: the trend (the transformation to insurance states happened in all rich democracies); differences across countries (the generosity of social policy varies greatly across countries); and the dynamics of the process. This book offers a theory that not only explains this remarkable transition but also explains cross-national differences and the role of crises for social policy development. Directly speaks to the role of crises for social policy development. Avoids overly complex statistical modeling, and most empirical evidence is presented in the form of easily understood bi-variate scatterplots. Pays serious attention to micro-level behavior to derive macro-level implications.
Risk Journalism between Transnational Politics and Climate Change (The\palgrave Macmillan Series In International Political Communication Ser.)
by Kasim Sharif Ingrid VolkmerThis book introduces a new methodology to assess the way in which journalists today operate within a new sphere of communicative ‘public’ interdependence across global digital communities by focusing on climate change debates. The authors propose a framework of ‘cosmopolitan loops,’ which addresses three major transformations in journalistic practice: the availability of ‘fluid’ webs of data which situate journalistic practice in a transnational arena; the increased involvement of journalists from developing countries in a transnationally interdependent sphere; and the increased awareness of a larger interconnected globalized ‘risk’ dimension of even local issues which shapes a new sphere of news ‘horizons.’ The authors draw on interviews with journalists to demonstrate that the construction of climate change ‘issues’ is increasingly situated in an emerging dimension of journalistic interconnectivity with climate actors across local, global and digital arenas and through physical and digital spaces of flows.
Risk Management: Insights from Different Settings (Risk, Governance and Society #20)
by Philip Shrives Monika Wieczorek-Kosmala Cristina Florio Philip Mark LinsleyThis volume offers new, convincing empirical evidence on topical risk- and risk management-related issues in diverse settings, using an interdisciplinary approach. The authors advance compelling arguments, firmly anchored to well-accepted theoretical frameworks, while adopting either qualitative or quantitative research methodologies. The book presents interviews and surveys with risk managers to gather insights on risk management and risk disclosure in practice. Additionally, the book collects and analyzes information contained in public reports to capture risk disclosure and perceptions on risk management impacts on companies’ internal organization. It sheds light on financial and market values to understand the effect of risk management on actual and perceived firm’s performance, respectively. Further, it examines the impacts of risk and risk management on society and the economy.The book improves awareness and advances knowledge on the complex and changeable risk and risk management fields of study. It interweaves among topical, up-to-date issues, peculiar, under-investigated contexts, and differentiated, complementary viewpoints on the same themes. Therefore, the book is a must-read for scholars and researchers, as well as practitioners and policy makers, interested in a better understanding of risk and risk management studies in different fields.
Risk Management and Governance: Concepts, Guidelines and Applications
by Ortwin Renn Terje AvenRisk is a popular topic in many sciences - in natural, medical, statistical, engineering, social, economic and legal disciplines. Yet, no single discipline can grasp the full meaning of risk. Investigating risk requires a multidisciplinary approach. The authors, coming from two very different disciplinary traditions, meet this challenge by building bridges between the engineering, the statistical and the social science perspectives. The book provides a comprehensive, accessible and concise guide to risk assessment, management and governance. A basic pillar for the book is the risk governance framework proposed by the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC). This framework offers a comprehensive means of integrating risk identification, assessment, management and communication. The authors develop and explain new insights and add substance to the various elements of the framework. The theoretical analysis is illustrated by several examples from different areas of applications.
Risk Management and Innovation in Japan, Britain and the USA (Routledge Studies in the Growth Economies of Asia #Vol. 1)
by Ruth TaplinAssessing and managing risk is vitally important, and is increasingly studied in a range of areas including politics and international relations, finance and insurance, and innovation and the valuing of intangible assets such as patents and intellectual property. The degree to which innovation is encouraged or otherwise – a key factor for many businesses - depends in part on the attitude towards risk in the context in which it takes place. Taplin considers the different attitudes towards risk and innovation, and the different ways in which risk and innovation are handled, in Japan, Britain the USA. Providing a broad and detailed examination of the subject, she discusses topics including risk management standards, managing risk in marketing, the insurance industry, patents, and in venture capital, and of how risk management in organizations has evolved.
Risk Management and Public Service Reform: Changing Governance and Funding Structures within School Education Services (Routledge Critical Studies in Public Management)
by Iniobong EnangSchool education reform is a dynamic process. It takes place in the context of changing institutional structures including society, economy, politics, legislation, and technology. Yet, there can be poor awareness of risk, particularly social risk, and its management during this process and more widely, during public service reform (PSR). This book aims to promote new PSR understanding about social risk management. It utilizes in-depth case studies comprising two anonymous Scottish councils responsible for providing and reforming school education services. Drawing mainly on risk management and structuration theories with elements of complexity leadership and institutional theories, the book explains contextual issues around the reform of Scottish school education services (SSES). It illustrates that social risks associated with reform can be used to explain emerging threats. Furthermore, it demonstrates that agent-structure duality may be instrumental to the production and management of social risks. The book also shows how the concept of social risk can be used to improve policy making and implementation. Targeted at practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and students, this book will be of interest to those in the fields of public administration, public service management, and risk management more generally.
Risk Management in East Asia: Systems and Frontier Issues
by Yijia Jing Jung-Sun Han Keiichi OgawaThis book is a joint endeavour of the three partner universities to develop a book with in-depth and state-of-art analysis for the academic community of East Asia and the world. Past disasters, like the 2008 Great Sichuan Earthquake in China and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, saw good efforts of East Asian countries in helping each other. Such a trend has been further strengthened in these countries’ recent cooperation and mutual support in their fight against Covid-19 pandemic. While China, Japan, and South Korea are geographically and culturally contiguous and hence may share some characteristics in their risk management principles and practices, there may also be many significant differences due to their different socioeconomic and political systems. The commonalities and variances in East Asia risk management systems are also reflected by their recent responses to the Covid-19 challenges. While all three countries demonstrated overall success in controlling the epidemic, the measures taken by them were different. This research will be of interest to policymakers, scholars and economists.
Risk Management in Public Administration
by Konrad RaczkowskiThis book draws on financial, economic, and management theory in its exploration of the theory underlying risk and risk management at both micro- and macroeconomic levels. It has a particular reference to the public financial sector. Chapters investigate the elimination of currency risk in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), as well as the changes that credit ratings undergo due to the influence of credit spreads. Featuring contributions on important topics such as public safety and the internet, intellectual capital, bank regulatory risk in the EU, the financial distress of public sector entities, and systemic risk in the insurance sector, it also explores innovative and emerging issues in the European tax gap in personal income taxes and VAT carousel fraud in selected European countries. Discussion of the complex nature of risk management in public administration will appeal to public officials, policy-makers, academics and researchers alike.
Risk Management in Public Health (Innovation in Risk Analysis)
by Jue LiuThis book provides readers with a conceptual and applied understanding of the role of risk management in public health issues. In recent years, public health emergencies of international concern have occurred frequently, such as COVID-19 pandemic and multi-country outbreak of monkeypox. Due to the diversity of pathogens, epidemic uncertainty, rapid transmission, extensive impact, and difficulty in governance of emerging infectious diseases, there is a great threat to global health, security and economy. With the development of science and technology, new technologies have also been applied to respond to major public health events, such as big data analysis and active monitoring technology, which have also played an important role in risk management of COVID-19. The progress of health data science has enriched the practice of preparedness and response to major global public health issues. In addition to classic theory and practice on risk management, this book introduces new progresson theories and practices of risk management in public health. The ten chapters are organized under two parts including theories and practices in major public health issues. This book is an essential and timely resource for public health managers, donors, practitioners, organizations, researchers, teachers who are interested and engaged in prevention and control on public health issues and risk management. These audiences should benefit from this approach as the book highlights the theory and practice of public health risk management from a more comprehensive perspective, which were seldom covered before.
Risk Management Strategies of Japanese Companies in China: Political Crisis and Multinational Firms (Politics in Asia)
by Kristin VekasiIn the context of political tensions and rising economic interdependence between Japan and China, this book studies how Japanese multinational companies try to minimize damages and manage their own fear and uncertainty to sustain their business interests. Using a qualitative approach, including over 150 interviews with Japanese and Chinese business and industry leaders, combined with statistical analysis of unique firm-level data, this book brings a ‘firm-level view’ to this crucial case of political conflict amid economic interdependence. It argues that there is wide variation in the degree of material damages Japanese multinationals sustain in the aftermath of political disputes, and how threatening they perceive the risks of political conflict to be. This book then goes on to evaluate the different responses to risk, from promoting Japan's culture through privately funded tactics and building common cause with the government, to diversifying a portion of assets abroad and even leaving China entirely. Presenting a new angle on economic globalization in the Asia Pacific region, Risk Management Strategies of Japanese Companies in China will be useful to students and scholars of Asian politics, business, and economics as well as international political economy.
A Risk-Management STRATEGY for PCB-Contaminated Sediments
by Committee on Remediation of PCB-Contaminated SedimentsThe National Academies Press (NAP)--publisher for the National Academies--publishes more than 200 books a year offering the most authoritative views, definitive information, and groundbreaking recommendations on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and health. Our books are unique in that they are authored by the nation's leading experts in every scientific field.
The Risk of Regional Governance: Cultural Theory and Interlocal Cooperation (Routledge Research in Urban Politics and Policy)
by Thomas SkuzinskiCreating metropolitan regions that are more efficient, equitable, and sustainable depends on the willingness of local officials to work together across municipal boundaries to solve large-scale problems. How do these local officials think? Why do they only sometimes cooperate? What kind of governance do they choose in the face of persistent problems? The Risk of Regional Governance offers a new perspective on these questions. Drawing on theory from sociology and anthropology, it argues that many of the most important cooperative decisions local officials make—those about land use planning and regulation—are driven by heuristic, biased reasoning driven by cultural values. The Risk of Regional Governance builds a sociocultural collective action framework, and supports it with rich survey and interview data from hundreds of local elected officials serving in the suburbs of Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is a story of the Rust Belt, of how local officials think about their community and the region, and—most importantly—of how we might craft policies that can overcome biases against regional governance.
The Risk of Social Policy?: The electoral consequences of welfare state retrenchment and social policy performance in OECD countries (Routledge Studies in the Political Economy of the Welfare State)
by Nathalie GigerThe Risk of Social Policy? uses a comparative perspective to systematically analyse the effects of social policy reforms and welfare state retrenchment on voting choice for the government. It re-examines twenty elections in OECD countries to show if and how social policy issues drive elections. This book contributes to the existing literature by providing an empirical analysis of the electoral implications of social policy. Giger asks the basic research question: What are the electoral consequences of social policy performance and retrenchment? More specifically, the following questions are addressed in order to provide a systematic test of the topic: Is retrenchment indeed completely unpopular? Do people punish the government for bad performance in the field of social policy? And what are the political implications of such a punishment reaction; does it affect the government composition? It shows empirically that the risks of welfare state retrenchment to incumbent governments may be lower than previously thought, and presents a theoretical framework for re-examining the impact of retrenchment initiatives on election outcome. Making an important contribution to studies in political economy and welfare by questioning the assumption that social policy is an inherently controversial policy field in times of elections, The Risk of Social Policy? will be of interest to scholars and students concerned with the interplay between government and citizens, social policy and voting behaviour, and the political economy of welfare.
The Risk of Water Conflicts in Aotearoa-New Zealand: Emergence and Intensification
by Adan E. SuazoThis book focuses on water disputes in New Zealand: a country where such conflicts are assumed to be non-existing. Rarely are water disputes examined in areas where water resources abound, and where the political framework that governs their access and use is strong. Environmental security literature has devoted a significant amount of attention to the nexus between resource abundance and conflict. Important research has assessed this relationship by focusing on non-renewable resource wealth as a causal determinant of conflict, but little is known about the conditions that influence the emergence and intensification of conflict in water abundant environments. By most accounts, New Zealand is one of the most water-rich countries in the world. Even though violent conflict over water does not normally materialize in New Zealand, conflicts and incompatible claims motivated by water bottling, the growth of some types of agriculture, tourism, and water treatment strategies, continue to surface. Little, however, is known about how and why these conflicts emerge and intensify in a country such as New Zealand. To address this lacuna, this project asks the following research question: How and why does the commercialization of freshwater influence the emergence and intensification of hydropolitical conflict in New Zealand? This study presents two central arguments. First, that the introduction of a commercial enterprise motivates the emergence of hydropolitical conflict intentionality if the enterprise is incompatible with the interests of local communities. And second, hydropolitical conflict risk intensifies in accordance with the level of trust that communities pose upon the approval and appeals process that supports a commercial operation. To test these arguments, this study examines the effects of water bottling and water chlorination on the towns of Ashburton (Canterbury) and Glenorchy (Otago), by employing a tripartite analysis comprised, first, of a conflict intentionality and engagement assessment, second, of a comparative case study analysis, and third, of a conflict intentionality classification. The data suggests that hydropolitical conflict risk is low when communities trust the approval and appeals process behind any given commercial operation. Water-based conflict risk however is likely to escalate when local communities lose trust in the above processes and the institutions that administer them.
The Risk Pivot
by Bruce D. Jones David StevenThe last decade has seen a revolution in global energy. First, we saw explosive growth in demand from Asia's rising powers, which fueled fears about scarcity and conflict. But we've also seen an American revolution in technology and markets, resulting in a dramatic increase in sup-ply. This is strengthening America's hand in the world-but it's not without complications. There are major security consequences of these shifts. Among the most consequential are China and India, Asia's emerging giants, which are increasingly exposed to political risks associated with energy risks, as well as the energy flows, pivoting to Asia. Meanwhile the great powers struggle to balance their need for fossil fuels with a mounting effort to tackle climate change. The top powers, and the United States above all, face a stra-tegic choice: whether to use energy as a weapon of geopolitics, or as a tool of a stable order.CONTENTSIntroduction1. The President and the King-Key Messages of the Book2. The Energy Revolutions-A PrimerGeopolitics in Flux-The Players3. Choices-Scenarios, and the Choice the Powers Confront4. Rough Seas Ahead-The Great Powers' Search for Energy SecurityGlobalization and Complexity-The Problems5. Transition in the Gulf6. The Turbulent Middle7. Fragile States8. The Russian Problem9. Connections-from Pipelines to PoliticsGovernance-The Partners10. An Emerging System of Global Energy Governance11. Leadership Choices
The Risk Pivot
by David Steven Bruce D. JonesThe last decade has seen a revolution in global energy. First, we saw explosive growth in demand from Asia's rising powers, which fueled fears about scarcity and conflict. But we've also seen an American revolution in technology and markets, resulting in a dramatic increase in sup-ply. This is strengthening America's hand in the world--but it's not without complications. There are major security consequences of these shifts. Among the most consequential are China and India, Asia's emerging giants, which are increasingly exposed to political risks associated with energy risks, as well as the energy flows, pivoting to Asia. Meanwhile the great powers struggle to balance their need for fossil fuels with a mounting effort to tackle climate change. The top powers, and the United States above all, face a stra-tegic choice: whether to use energy as a weapon of geopolitics, or as a tool of a stable order.CONTENTS Introduction1. The President and the King--Key Messages of the Book2. The Energy Revolutions--A PrimerGeopolitics in Flux--The Players3. Choices--Scenarios, and the Choice the Powers Confront4. Rough Seas Ahead--The Great Powers' Search for Energy SecurityGlobalization and Complexity--The Problems5. Transition in the Gulf6. The Turbulent Middle7. Fragile States8. The Russian Problem9. Connections--from Pipelines to PoliticsGovernance--The Partners10. An Emerging System of Global Energy Governance11. Leadership Choices
Risk, Power and the State: After Foucault
by Magnus HörnqvistRisk, Power and the State addresses how power is exercised in and by contemporary state organisations. Through a detailed analysis of programmatic attempts to shape behaviour linked to considerations of risk, this book pursues the argument that, whilst Foucault is useful for understanding power, the Foucauldian tradition – with its strands of discourse analysis, of governmentality studies, or of radical Deleuzian critique – suffers from a lack of clarification on key conceptual issues. Oriented around four case studies, the architecture of the book devolves upon the distinction between productive and repressive power. The first two studies focus on productive power: the management of long-term unemployment in the public employment service and cognitive-behavioural interventions in the prison service. Two further studies concern repressive interventions: the conditions of incarceration in the prison service and the activity of the customs service. These studies reveal that power, as conceptualised within the Foucauldian tradition, must be modified. A more complex notion of productive power is needed, which covers interventions that appeal to desires, and which govern both at a distance and at close range. Additionally, the simplistic paradigm of repressive power is called into question by the need to consider the organising role of norms and techniques that circumvent agency. Finally, it is argued, Foucault's concept of strategies – which accounts for the thick web of administrative directives, organisational routines, and techniques that simultaneously shape the behaviour of targeted individuals and members of the organisation – requires an organisational dimension that is often neglected in the Foucauldian tradition.
Risk Prevention and Control System of Urban Public Security (Public Economy and Urban Governance in China)
by Xiaoliang LiuThis book, with a focus on the establishment of urban public security risk prevention and control system, carries out a comprehensive review and a comparative study of its development. It provides a systematical analysis to the inevitable security issues in the process of urban development and conducts an in-depth discussion on the background of times featuring heightened security risks as well as the main sources of current urban public security risks. In addition to analyzing the inner structure and development motivations, this book further summarizes the inner mechanism for the effective operation of urban risk prevention and control system and elaborates on the reasons why grassroots governance plays a vital role throughout the whole process. Moreover, this book sheds some light on the future development of urban security risk prevention and control system.Centering on the frontiers of urban public security risk prevention and control, this book probes into the important issues in establishing an effective urban public security risk prevention and control system by combining theory and practice. As a result, it is highly recommended for scholars, government officials, and practitioners in the field of emergency management.
Risk Regulation in Europe
by Jale TosunThe publication aims to familiarize students of public policy with the precautionary principle, which plays a vital role in the European Union's approach toward regulating risks. The precautionary principle contends that policy makers should refrain from actions having a suspected risk of causing harm to the public and/or the environment. However, the precautionary principle only provides guidance to policy makers but does not prescribe specific policy responses. Therefore, there should be variation in the way the principle is applied. Furthermore, precautionary measures are, in principle, of a provisional nature, suggesting that they are likely to be subject to changes over time. This book is thus interested in shedding light on how the precautionary principle is put into practice and to what extent precautionary measures become modified. Empirically, it focuses on how the EU has regulated the use of growth hormones in meat production, the cultivation of genetically modified corn and the use of Stevia-based sweeteners in foods and beverages. The main theoretical argument advanced by this study is that the way in which the original regulatory standards were formulated affects whether and how they are changed. By placing particular emphasis on the relevance of scientific evidence for the (re-)definition of precautionary measures, the book is expected to appeal to both academics and practitioners.
Risk Regulation in the United States and European Union
by Lina M. Svedin Adam Luedtke Thad E. HallGlobalization and technology have altered public fears and changed expectations of how government should make people safer. This book analyzes how Europeans and Americans perceive and regulate risk. The authors show how public fears about risk are filtered through political systems to pressure governments to insure against risk.