This volume traces the development of risk theory's
dominant conceptual frameworks by using leading
theorists' own accounts of how they formed their
perspectives. It examines the fundamental bases and
theoretical foundations of risk analysis.|The social
science approach to risk has matured over the past two
decades, with distinct paradigms developing in
disciplines such as anthropology, economics, geography,
psychology, and sociology. Social Theories of
Risk traces the intellectual origins and histories
of twelve of the established and emerging paradigms from
the perspective of their principal proponents. Each
contributor examines the underlying assumptions of his
or her paradigm, the foundational issue it seeks to
address, and likely future directions of
research.||Taken together, these essays illustrate that
the principal achievement of social sciences has been to
broaden the debate about risk beyond the narrow,
technical considerations of engineers and the physical
and life sciences. The authors conclude that expert
knowledge is not value-free, that public perceptions of
and attitudes toward risks vary according to a wide
range of social, psychological, and cultural variables,
and that public opposition to particular risks cannot be
assuaged by technical fixes. The essays reveal the
circuitous paths that lead people to the study of risk,
highlight how these paths have crossed and discuss some
of the seminal influences on individuals and the field
in general. Social Theories of Risk presents a
broad, retrospective view of the state of the theory in
the social sciences, written by many who have been on
the cutting edge of risk research since its early days.
The book includes both established and novel
perspectives that address the theoretical foundations of
the field and reflect what we know about risk as a
psychological, social, and cultural phenomenon.
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