RISK UNCERTAINTY RATION ACTION (hb (Earthscan Risk and Society Series) [Hardcover]

Ortwin Renn (Author), Eugene A. Rosa (Author), Thomas Webler (Author), Carlo C. Jaeger (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001 | ISBN-10: 1853837628 | ISBN-13: 978-1853837623

Risk as we now know it is a wholly new phenomenon, the by-product of our ever more complex and powerful technologies. In business, policy making, and in everyday life, it demands a new way of looking at technological and environmental uncertainty. In this definitive volume, four of the world's leading risk researchers present a fundamental critique of the prevailing approaches to understanding and managing risk - the 'rational actor paradigm'. They show how risk studies must incorporate the competing interests, values, and rationalities of those involved and find a balance of trust and acceptable risk. Their work points to a comprehensive and significant new theory of risk and uncertainty and of the decision making process they require. The implications for social, political, and environmental theory and practice are enormous. This title is winner of the 2000-2002 Outstanding Publication Award of the Section on Environment and Technology of the American Sociological Association.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'An invaluable collection of articles for those who are seeking an in-depth analysis of risk perception.' Food, Nutrition and Agriculture 'For the serious student of the subject.' Long Range Planning

About the Author

Carlo C Jaeger is Professor of Modelling Social Systems and leads the Department of Social Systems at PIK, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Ortwin Renn is Chair of Environmental Sociology at the University of Stuttgart. Eugene A Rosa is Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Policy, Washington State University. Thomas Webler is a researcher in the Department of Environmental Studies, Antioch New England Graduate School.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Earthscan Publications Ltd. (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853837628
• ISBN-13: 978-1853837623
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,908,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eugene (Gene) Rosa was born in Canandaigua, New York to an immigrant father from Italy and an Italian-American mother. He received all of his education in upstate New York: grade school and high school in East Rochester, a B.S. in Business and Economics at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and a MA and Ph.D. at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. His education continued with post-doctoral positions at Stanford University and the University of Michigan. Gene has been a professor at Washington State University for 35 years, with visiting positions at the London School of Economics, The University of Klagenfurt, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the University of Stuttgart. His principle research interests are on the topics of human ecology and technological and ecological risks. Many of his publications have won awards and he is a frequent international speaker.