Risk, Governance and Society

This book examines fair citizen participation as a key element of effective policy support. Over the past two decades, many countries have embraced more reflective and inclusive governance in environmental policymaking. 

This book demonstrates how democratic and deliberative approaches yield better policy outcomes than technocratic methods that only superficially engage the public. Reflective governance highlights the importance of deliberative democracy, offering fair and open discourse opportunities for all stakeholders. Throughout the chapters, some of the most renowned authors in the field present the principal mechanisms for public engagement in deliberative decision-making.

By exploring innovative formats like stakeholder round tables and citizen assemblies, this book provides practical guidance on their unique merits and limitations. It addresses scholars, practitioners, and representatives of administrations, public and private institutions, and NGOs interested in a better understanding of the selection and design of the most effective formats for competent and fair policymaking, ensuring each format meets its full potential.

This volume investigates the interdisciplinary and cross-cutting challenges in the risk analysis of natural hazards. It brings together leading minds in engineering, science, philosophy, law, and the social sciences. Parts I and II of this volume explore risk assessment, first by providing an overview of the interdisciplinary interactions involved in the assessment of natural hazards, and then by exploring the particular impacts of climate change on natural hazard assessment. Part III discusses the theoretical frameworks for the evaluation of natural hazards. Finally, Parts IV and V address the risk management of natural hazards, providing first an overview of the interdisciplinary interactions underlying natural hazard management, and then exploring decision frameworks that can help decision makers integrate and respond to the complex relationships among natural events, the built environment, and human behavior.