Risk and Society
Risk is a salient topic on the agenda of politicians, regulators, NGOs and the media. As a research field the study of risk is truly multi-disciplinary. Contributions to knowledge of how risk issues are understood and managed in society, by individuals, groups and organizations, derives from disciplines such as geography, economy, sociology, social anthropology, philosophy, psychology, media and communication science, and political science. During the last decades the research literature on the identification, assessment, and management of risk and the way it is communicated has grown considerably.
Social science approaches are used to explore how conceptions of risk derive from collective beliefs and situated practices concerned with contingency and values at stake. Organizational and institutional forces in the management, regulation and communication of risk through the interaction of diverse perspectives and rationalities constitute key themes.
Among the research topics we find concern for nature in risk debates; hopes, visions and fears associated with technological innovation; public trust; citizen involvement in policy and decision making; communication by government agencies, and the role of science in public deliberation and decision making.
Social science approaches are used to explore how conceptions of risk derive from collective beliefs and situated practices concerned with contingency and values at stake.
The programme aims both for robust empirical studies of societal risk issues and theoretical development, including synthesis regarding cultural, epistemological, institutional and organizational dimensions of risk and its communication and management.
Examples of research projects:
- Study of the role of collected food in future resilient food systems.
- A comparative study of how cybersecurity is managed in Swedish municipalities.
- A study of how responsibility is (re)negotiated between the state and citizens in Swedish cybersecurity.
- The local dimension of environmental issues
- Public trust and citizen influence
- How different types of knowledge are utilised and negotiated in decision-making on common public issues.
- Democratic participation in carnivore management. A comparative study of policy and institution, leadership and local community in four countries (Swedish Research Council/SGS).
