Dealing with Risk - Why the Public and the Experts Disagree on Environmental Issues

For decades, policymakers and analysts have been frustrated by the stubborn and often dramatic disagreement between experts and the public on acceptable levels of environmental risk. Most experts, for instance, see no severe problem in dealing with nuclear waste, given the precautions and safety levels now in place. Yet public opinion vehemently rejects this view, repudiating both the experts' analysis and the evidence.
In "Dealing with Risk, " Howard Margolis moves beyond the usual "rival rationalities" explanation proffered by risk analysts for the rift between expert and lay opinion. He reveals the conflicts of intuition that undergird those concerns, and proposes a new approach to the psychology of persuasion and belief. Examining the role of intuition, mental habits, and cognitive frameworks in the construction of public opinion, this compelling account bridges the public policy impasse that has plagued controversial environmental issues.

Summary

Postulates that for decades, both policymakers and analysts have been frustrated by conflicts between expert and lay perceptions of environmental risk. This work examines the role of intuition, mental habits, and cognitive frameworks in the construction of public opinion.

Product details

• Authors: Howard Margolis, Margolis Howard
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 22.12.1997
• EAN: 9780226505299
• ISBN: 978-0-226-50529-9
• No. of pages: 238
• Dimensions: 14 mm x 22 mm x 2 mm
• Weight: 312 g
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / General, Pollution & threats to the environment, Central / national / federal government policies, Environmentalist, Conservationist & Green Organizations, Environmentalist, conservationist and Green organizations, Pollution and threats to the environment, Central government policies, Public Opinion & Polls, Public opinion and polls, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Opinion Polling