Elke U. Weber
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199273393
- eISBN:
- 9780191601675
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199273391.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
This chapter argues that the lack of any visceral perception of risk or danger is the main obstacle to the retirement savings. It reviews theory and empirical evidence to document two claims: that ...
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This chapter argues that the lack of any visceral perception of risk or danger is the main obstacle to the retirement savings. It reviews theory and empirical evidence to document two claims: that affect is the wellspring of action; and that perceived risk, particularly visceral reactions to risky situations, has little correspondence to other measures of risk. It concludes by considering the implications of psychological models of decisionmaking for designing procedures or institutions that improve on the current situation.Less
This chapter argues that the lack of any visceral perception of risk or danger is the main obstacle to the retirement savings. It reviews theory and empirical evidence to document two claims: that affect is the wellspring of action; and that perceived risk, particularly visceral reactions to risky situations, has little correspondence to other measures of risk. It concludes by considering the implications of psychological models of decisionmaking for designing procedures or institutions that improve on the current situation.
Paulette Kurzer
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199283958
- eISBN:
- 9780191603297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199283958.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Why has the problem of tobacco energized NGOs and policy entrepreneurs in the USA but much less in the EU? Why has transgenic food provoked similar kinds of collective responses in the EU, but much ...
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Why has the problem of tobacco energized NGOs and policy entrepreneurs in the USA but much less in the EU? Why has transgenic food provoked similar kinds of collective responses in the EU, but much less in the USA? First, the USA and EU-15 possess different ‘cultural markers’ in that they express different values/collective preferences. Second, institutional arrangements vary and steer even similar preferences and values to produce different political results.Less
Why has the problem of tobacco energized NGOs and policy entrepreneurs in the USA but much less in the EU? Why has transgenic food provoked similar kinds of collective responses in the EU, but much less in the USA? First, the USA and EU-15 possess different ‘cultural markers’ in that they express different values/collective preferences. Second, institutional arrangements vary and steer even similar preferences and values to produce different political results.
Lynn Frewer, Heleen van Dijk, and Arnout Fischer
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199562848
- eISBN:
- 9780191722523
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562848.003.03
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter discusses both behavioural changes and consumer responses to public health information, and consumer perceptions of risk and benefit associated with specific food choices. These are ...
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This chapter discusses both behavioural changes and consumer responses to public health information, and consumer perceptions of risk and benefit associated with specific food choices. These are illustrated using case studies in the following sections.Less
This chapter discusses both behavioural changes and consumer responses to public health information, and consumer perceptions of risk and benefit associated with specific food choices. These are illustrated using case studies in the following sections.
Nick Pidgeon and Karen Henwood
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199562848
- eISBN:
- 9780191722523
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562848.003.04
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter focuses on the social amplification of risk framework (SARF) proposed by Kasperson et al. (1988). Their thesis is that certain aspects of hazard events and their portrayal in mediated ...
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This chapter focuses on the social amplification of risk framework (SARF) proposed by Kasperson et al. (1988). Their thesis is that certain aspects of hazard events and their portrayal in mediated and other sources interact with psychological, social, institutional, and cultural processes in ways that might attenuate (decrease) or amplify (increase) perceptions of risk and, through this, shape behaviour. There is considerable evidence now that risk attenuation and intensification phenomena have occurred in America and Europe in recent years, raising the question of whether the SARF might inform our understanding of basic risk communication processes and lead to improved practice in health communication and in related areas such as environmental policy.Less
This chapter focuses on the social amplification of risk framework (SARF) proposed by Kasperson et al. (1988). Their thesis is that certain aspects of hazard events and their portrayal in mediated and other sources interact with psychological, social, institutional, and cultural processes in ways that might attenuate (decrease) or amplify (increase) perceptions of risk and, through this, shape behaviour. There is considerable evidence now that risk attenuation and intensification phenomena have occurred in America and Europe in recent years, raising the question of whether the SARF might inform our understanding of basic risk communication processes and lead to improved practice in health communication and in related areas such as environmental policy.
Julie S. Downs, Wändi Bruine de Bruin, Baruch Fischhoff, and Elizabeth A. Walker
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195317060
- eISBN:
- 9780199871544
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195317060.003.0031
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter provides an introduction aimed at making the field of decision science more accessible. Because so many chronic diseases are preventable or manageable through behavioral changes, ...
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This chapter provides an introduction aimed at making the field of decision science more accessible. Because so many chronic diseases are preventable or manageable through behavioral changes, decision science could provide a valuable resource for understanding and improving health decisions and the outcomes that follow them. With its combination of empirical and analytical methods, decision science provides broadly applicable approaches to help people make health decisions in ways that are informed by both medical and social science. It is especially helpful for decisions made in the face of uncertainty whether individuals make them on their own or in consultation with health care providers.Less
This chapter provides an introduction aimed at making the field of decision science more accessible. Because so many chronic diseases are preventable or manageable through behavioral changes, decision science could provide a valuable resource for understanding and improving health decisions and the outcomes that follow them. With its combination of empirical and analytical methods, decision science provides broadly applicable approaches to help people make health decisions in ways that are informed by both medical and social science. It is especially helpful for decisions made in the face of uncertainty whether individuals make them on their own or in consultation with health care providers.
Alexander Somek
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199542086
- eISBN:
- 9780191715518
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199542086.003.0003
- Subject:
- Law, Philosophy of Law, EU Law
This chapter draws on an instance of risk regulation, namely tobacco control, in order to explain the growth of the community's legislative power on the basis of Article 95. It explains that it is no ...
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This chapter draws on an instance of risk regulation, namely tobacco control, in order to explain the growth of the community's legislative power on the basis of Article 95. It explains that it is no accident that risk regulation is contentious. Risk regulation is rife with the illiberal zeal to shut down and to suppress the risk-perception of others. Not by accident, it is a touchstone for how well a society does at sorting out disagreement on the basis of public contestation and mutual accommodation. Regulating the communication of information about smoking has played a pivotal role in the ECJ's more general formulation of the Union's competence. Indeed, that it had been this type of issue that led to the consolidation of Union competence makes the relevant case law even more remarkable. Apparently, the Union's power becomes holistic when it begins to cut deeply into the European way of life.Less
This chapter draws on an instance of risk regulation, namely tobacco control, in order to explain the growth of the community's legislative power on the basis of Article 95. It explains that it is no accident that risk regulation is contentious. Risk regulation is rife with the illiberal zeal to shut down and to suppress the risk-perception of others. Not by accident, it is a touchstone for how well a society does at sorting out disagreement on the basis of public contestation and mutual accommodation. Regulating the communication of information about smoking has played a pivotal role in the ECJ's more general formulation of the Union's competence. Indeed, that it had been this type of issue that led to the consolidation of Union competence makes the relevant case law even more remarkable. Apparently, the Union's power becomes holistic when it begins to cut deeply into the European way of life.
Simon French and John Maule
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199562848
- eISBN:
- 9780191722523
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562848.003.19
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
The first edition of this book reported the authors' work in the Department of Health on developing a series of research-led training seminars for senior health services personnel to improve their ...
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The first edition of this book reported the authors' work in the Department of Health on developing a series of research-led training seminars for senior health services personnel to improve their processes of risk communication. This chapter reflects on what was learnt from these events, including how to design workshops and develop scenarios. The primary objectives of the chapter are: to outline the underlying philosophy underpinning the understanding of risk communication and how that feeds into the design of training seminars; to use recent experience of running risk communication events to reflect on the changes necessary to the seminars in terms of content, focus, underlying philosophy, and techniques covered; and to identify some more recent developments in the literature on risk perception and communication, considering the implications of these in the context of the training seminar content.Less
The first edition of this book reported the authors' work in the Department of Health on developing a series of research-led training seminars for senior health services personnel to improve their processes of risk communication. This chapter reflects on what was learnt from these events, including how to design workshops and develop scenarios. The primary objectives of the chapter are: to outline the underlying philosophy underpinning the understanding of risk communication and how that feeds into the design of training seminars; to use recent experience of running risk communication events to reflect on the changes necessary to the seminars in terms of content, focus, underlying philosophy, and techniques covered; and to identify some more recent developments in the literature on risk perception and communication, considering the implications of these in the context of the training seminar content.
Elizabeth Lobb and Clara Gaff
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199238361
- eISBN:
- 9780191730290
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199238361.003.0022
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine Research
As cancer is common, many people have a family history of one or more relatives with a cancer diagnosis. The nature and extent of a family history of a specific cancer influences each family member's ...
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As cancer is common, many people have a family history of one or more relatives with a cancer diagnosis. The nature and extent of a family history of a specific cancer influences each family member's risk of developing the cancer: this component of an individual's cancer risk is called their genetic risk. Risk perception may be an important motivator of health-related behaviour. When communicating risk information, the health practitioner needs to be aware of the ways in which this information is processed. Inherited risk is shared within families, and the genetic risk status of one family member has implications for the others. Recent studies suggest that a more meaningful outcome relates to one of the goals of genetic counselling, facilitating adjustment. In this context, adjustment to living at increased risk of cancer may be achieved by exploring the personal meaning of that risk and its implications. Current models of risk communication suggest that this will have a positive effect on social and medical decision-making.Less
As cancer is common, many people have a family history of one or more relatives with a cancer diagnosis. The nature and extent of a family history of a specific cancer influences each family member's risk of developing the cancer: this component of an individual's cancer risk is called their genetic risk. Risk perception may be an important motivator of health-related behaviour. When communicating risk information, the health practitioner needs to be aware of the ways in which this information is processed. Inherited risk is shared within families, and the genetic risk status of one family member has implications for the others. Recent studies suggest that a more meaningful outcome relates to one of the goals of genetic counselling, facilitating adjustment. In this context, adjustment to living at increased risk of cancer may be achieved by exploring the personal meaning of that risk and its implications. Current models of risk communication suggest that this will have a positive effect on social and medical decision-making.
Mark Carey
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195396065
- eISBN:
- 9780199775682
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195396065.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Two glacier avalanches from Mount Huascarán killed 4,000 people and destroyed the town of Ranrahirca and killed 15,000 people and devastated the city of Yungay in 1970, making it the most deadly ...
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Two glacier avalanches from Mount Huascarán killed 4,000 people and destroyed the town of Ranrahirca and killed 15,000 people and devastated the city of Yungay in 1970, making it the most deadly glacier disaster in world history. Because these avalanches were unpredictable and uncontrollable, the Peruvian government tried more forcefully than it had during previous decades to implement hazard zoning to reduce disaster vulnerability in the Callejón de Huaylas. Local residents with different risk perceptions, however, successfully resisted zoning plans. In the process, glacier and glacial lake science became contested knowledge that various social groups sought to control. Ironically, locals opposed zoning to limit state intervention in their communities. But by inhabiting hazard zones they ultimately became even more dependent on state programs to monitor Cordillera Blanca glaciers and drain glacial lakes. As glacier experts tried to protect populations, they mediated between the centralized state and various local populations.Less
Two glacier avalanches from Mount Huascarán killed 4,000 people and destroyed the town of Ranrahirca and killed 15,000 people and devastated the city of Yungay in 1970, making it the most deadly glacier disaster in world history. Because these avalanches were unpredictable and uncontrollable, the Peruvian government tried more forcefully than it had during previous decades to implement hazard zoning to reduce disaster vulnerability in the Callejón de Huaylas. Local residents with different risk perceptions, however, successfully resisted zoning plans. In the process, glacier and glacial lake science became contested knowledge that various social groups sought to control. Ironically, locals opposed zoning to limit state intervention in their communities. But by inhabiting hazard zones they ultimately became even more dependent on state programs to monitor Cordillera Blanca glaciers and drain glacial lakes. As glacier experts tried to protect populations, they mediated between the centralized state and various local populations.
Denis Fischbacher-Smith and Kenneth Calman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199562848
- eISBN:
- 9780191722523
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562848.003.13
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter examines some of the issues arising from the relationship between fear and perceptions of risk, and the implications that the precautionary principle might have in shaping the conflict ...
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This chapter examines some of the issues arising from the relationship between fear and perceptions of risk, and the implications that the precautionary principle might have in shaping the conflict that ensues in risk debates. It also explores the nature of the precautionary approach in practical terms and the nature of uncertainty as a core element in the process of public health risk management.Less
This chapter examines some of the issues arising from the relationship between fear and perceptions of risk, and the implications that the precautionary principle might have in shaping the conflict that ensues in risk debates. It also explores the nature of the precautionary approach in practical terms and the nature of uncertainty as a core element in the process of public health risk management.
Thomas D. Beamish
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780804784429
- eISBN:
- 9780804794657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804784429.003.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
Chapter 1 explains the theoretical backdrop and analytical framework that organize the book’s analysis. The chapter begins by outlining contemporary conditions in risk society where societal ...
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Chapter 1 explains the theoretical backdrop and analytical framework that organize the book’s analysis. The chapter begins by outlining contemporary conditions in risk society where societal relations among civil society, government, and industry have been transformed in the twenty-first-century United States. In this context, risk and its management at the individual, local, and national levels have become the predominant concerns and bases for “risk dispute.” Chapter 1 also describes how previous scholarship has theorized risk management and risk perception, as well as civic and community engagement and risk dispute. The chapter ends with how Community at Risk contributes to this and related areas of research.Less
Chapter 1 explains the theoretical backdrop and analytical framework that organize the book’s analysis. The chapter begins by outlining contemporary conditions in risk society where societal relations among civil society, government, and industry have been transformed in the twenty-first-century United States. In this context, risk and its management at the individual, local, and national levels have become the predominant concerns and bases for “risk dispute.” Chapter 1 also describes how previous scholarship has theorized risk management and risk perception, as well as civic and community engagement and risk dispute. The chapter ends with how Community at Risk contributes to this and related areas of research.
Kim Longfield
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813032535
- eISBN:
- 9780813039305
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813032535.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
This chapter examines the Côte d'Ivoire women's risk perception of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). The findings reveal the influence of sexual partners and relationship dynamics ...
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This chapter examines the Côte d'Ivoire women's risk perception of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). The findings reveal the influence of sexual partners and relationship dynamics on risk perception and risk-taking behavior. This chapter suggests that information, education, and communication campaigns should target women in “committed” relationships, where risk behavior is high but risk perception remains low. It proposes that interventions for men should be incorporated into program design and complement programs that target women.Less
This chapter examines the Côte d'Ivoire women's risk perception of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). The findings reveal the influence of sexual partners and relationship dynamics on risk perception and risk-taking behavior. This chapter suggests that information, education, and communication campaigns should target women in “committed” relationships, where risk behavior is high but risk perception remains low. It proposes that interventions for men should be incorporated into program design and complement programs that target women.
Jenni Ward and Mariana Bayley
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861347329
- eISBN:
- 9781447302469
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861347329.003.0003
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
This chapter examines the way young people conceive of risk and what they view as the most relevant factors in their lives in terms of risk. It draws on evidence from a series of focus-group ...
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This chapter examines the way young people conceive of risk and what they view as the most relevant factors in their lives in terms of risk. It draws on evidence from a series of focus-group interviews with young people to enhance the limited evidence base on this subject. The chapter provides insights into how young people define risk, what they consider to be risk in their worlds, and how they manage and judge risk. A key theme of the chapter is gendered risk and the importance of risk activity in the constructions of young people's self-identity. The notion of risk and developing maturity is also examined, as are parental influences on young people's views of risk. This raises the issue of sociocultural difference, which was found to influence risk perceptions, experience, and engagement in risky activities.Less
This chapter examines the way young people conceive of risk and what they view as the most relevant factors in their lives in terms of risk. It draws on evidence from a series of focus-group interviews with young people to enhance the limited evidence base on this subject. The chapter provides insights into how young people define risk, what they consider to be risk in their worlds, and how they manage and judge risk. A key theme of the chapter is gendered risk and the importance of risk activity in the constructions of young people's self-identity. The notion of risk and developing maturity is also examined, as are parental influences on young people's views of risk. This raises the issue of sociocultural difference, which was found to influence risk perceptions, experience, and engagement in risky activities.
Cheris Shun-ching Chan
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195394078
- eISBN:
- 9780199951154
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195394078.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
This chapter asks what makes people in China buy life insurance, what kinds of products they buy, and why. Through studying the intentions and interpretations of their choices, it aims to explain the ...
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This chapter asks what makes people in China buy life insurance, what kinds of products they buy, and why. Through studying the intentions and interpretations of their choices, it aims to explain the meaning of buying life insurance from the clients’ perspective. The data suggests that while the Chinese clients had multiple and mutable motives for buying life insurance that shifted over time, their preferences for money management products were universal and consistent. Furthermore, buyers from different walks of life shared the same definition of life insurance: they all defined life insurance as money management. I examine how this definition, and buyers’ preferences, were shaped by their shared folklore, values, moralities, and perceptions, and how shifts in prevailing motives over time were brought about by institutional changes.Less
This chapter asks what makes people in China buy life insurance, what kinds of products they buy, and why. Through studying the intentions and interpretations of their choices, it aims to explain the meaning of buying life insurance from the clients’ perspective. The data suggests that while the Chinese clients had multiple and mutable motives for buying life insurance that shifted over time, their preferences for money management products were universal and consistent. Furthermore, buyers from different walks of life shared the same definition of life insurance: they all defined life insurance as money management. I examine how this definition, and buyers’ preferences, were shaped by their shared folklore, values, moralities, and perceptions, and how shifts in prevailing motives over time were brought about by institutional changes.
Mark Kelman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199755608
- eISBN:
- 9780199895236
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199755608.003.0007
- Subject:
- Law, Philosophy of Law
The chapter considers H&B and F&F attitudes towards market failure and information disclosure, highlighting first that policymakers influenced by the H&B school have worried about internal as well as ...
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The chapter considers H&B and F&F attitudes towards market failure and information disclosure, highlighting first that policymakers influenced by the H&B school have worried about internal as well as external impediments to making self-regarding choices and the misevaluation of the performance of members of “outsider” groups. It further emphasizes the H&B commitment to programs best described as “libertarian paternalist” or “asymmetrically paternalist,” intended to interfere with a subject’s immediate “liberty” but not her autonomy and also meant to permit subjects who have atypical tastes to manifest those tastes in ways that mandates would not. Policymakers influenced by F&F theory have emphasized, to a much greater extent, that typical disclosure policies are misguided: while it is desirable to improve the form in which information is presented, increasing the amount of information that consumers receive is generally counterproductive because information might “crowd out” the search for a single best lexical cue. The chapter questions the viability of each approach, arguing that neither truly works absent a separate theory of what substantive choices are ideal.Less
The chapter considers H&B and F&F attitudes towards market failure and information disclosure, highlighting first that policymakers influenced by the H&B school have worried about internal as well as external impediments to making self-regarding choices and the misevaluation of the performance of members of “outsider” groups. It further emphasizes the H&B commitment to programs best described as “libertarian paternalist” or “asymmetrically paternalist,” intended to interfere with a subject’s immediate “liberty” but not her autonomy and also meant to permit subjects who have atypical tastes to manifest those tastes in ways that mandates would not. Policymakers influenced by F&F theory have emphasized, to a much greater extent, that typical disclosure policies are misguided: while it is desirable to improve the form in which information is presented, increasing the amount of information that consumers receive is generally counterproductive because information might “crowd out” the search for a single best lexical cue. The chapter questions the viability of each approach, arguing that neither truly works absent a separate theory of what substantive choices are ideal.
Bruce Schneier and Deric Miller
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199856800
- eISBN:
- 9780199301508
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199856800.003.0032
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience
This chapter considers security issues. It begins with rational choice theory, a cost-benefit framework for balancing the trade-offs associated with security. The fast and intuitive system 1 from ...
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This chapter considers security issues. It begins with rational choice theory, a cost-benefit framework for balancing the trade-offs associated with security. The fast and intuitive system 1 from dual process theory has had a dominant role in security over evolutionary time to enable rapid responses to dangerous situations; heuristics are commonly invoked, often leading to biased decisions inappropriate for addressing contemporary security issues. People differ in tolerance for risk or ambiguity and in risk perception, typically with little actual knowledge of risk magnitude, despite available data. Much of the chapter documents a large number of heuristics and biases characteristic of human reasoning that can undermine security decision making, often because we are predisposed to overestimate certain kinds of danger and underestimate others. Also, the many security decisions made by groups often become biased by group dynamics and may be dominated by externalities, in which the decision maker is invulnerable to the implications of the decisions.Less
This chapter considers security issues. It begins with rational choice theory, a cost-benefit framework for balancing the trade-offs associated with security. The fast and intuitive system 1 from dual process theory has had a dominant role in security over evolutionary time to enable rapid responses to dangerous situations; heuristics are commonly invoked, often leading to biased decisions inappropriate for addressing contemporary security issues. People differ in tolerance for risk or ambiguity and in risk perception, typically with little actual knowledge of risk magnitude, despite available data. Much of the chapter documents a large number of heuristics and biases characteristic of human reasoning that can undermine security decision making, often because we are predisposed to overestimate certain kinds of danger and underestimate others. Also, the many security decisions made by groups often become biased by group dynamics and may be dominated by externalities, in which the decision maker is invulnerable to the implications of the decisions.
Thomas D. Beamish
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780804784429
- eISBN:
- 9780804794657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804784429.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The Conclusion provides a synoptic comparative account of the book’s findings, arguments, and conclusions. The focus is what an analysis of local civics politics lends to an understanding of risk ...
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The Conclusion provides a synoptic comparative account of the book’s findings, arguments, and conclusions. The focus is what an analysis of local civics politics lends to an understanding of risk disputes. Importantly, the Conclusion, in focusing on the civic politics of risk, shows that common political rhetoric(s) such as claims to democracy, due process, progress, and justice can mean very different things in different civic contexts that hold considerable consequence for understanding what is and is not an acceptable risk. The same terms can mean very different things given social, historical, and material legacies and the civics and discourse that locally predominate. The Conclusion also reiterates the contribution that Community at Risk makes to an impressive stock of knowledge concerning risk management, perception, and dispute, as well as civic politics, organization, and community studies. The Conclusion’s intervention is, however, equal parts new findings and synthesis.Less
The Conclusion provides a synoptic comparative account of the book’s findings, arguments, and conclusions. The focus is what an analysis of local civics politics lends to an understanding of risk disputes. Importantly, the Conclusion, in focusing on the civic politics of risk, shows that common political rhetoric(s) such as claims to democracy, due process, progress, and justice can mean very different things in different civic contexts that hold considerable consequence for understanding what is and is not an acceptable risk. The same terms can mean very different things given social, historical, and material legacies and the civics and discourse that locally predominate. The Conclusion also reiterates the contribution that Community at Risk makes to an impressive stock of knowledge concerning risk management, perception, and dispute, as well as civic politics, organization, and community studies. The Conclusion’s intervention is, however, equal parts new findings and synthesis.
Thomas D. Beamish
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780804784429
- eISBN:
- 9780804794657
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804784429.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
The anthrax attacks of 2001 provoked deep concern and urgency among U.S. security elites regarding bioterrorism. Coming after 9/11 and followed by the successive menace of West Nile virus, SARS, ...
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The anthrax attacks of 2001 provoked deep concern and urgency among U.S. security elites regarding bioterrorism. Coming after 9/11 and followed by the successive menace of West Nile virus, SARS, avian influenza, and most recently Ebola these events prompted the federal government to pursue an aggressive new biodefense agenda. Even given the purported menace of bio-catastrophe, however, the new federal risk management plans stirred controversy. Community at Risk provides a comparative view of that controversy as it ensued in three communities where universities sought to host and manage National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBL) on behalf of the federal government. NBLs are a cornerstone of federal biodefense plans; they are ultrasecure laboratories where research on the most dangerous diseases can be conducted and microbiological and biomedical applications can be rapidly developed and deployed. By comparing community responses, the book highlights the role that local civic political dynamics play in defining what is at stake and perceptions of acceptable and unacceptable risk. It explains the civic politics of risk as rooted in locally shared governance conventions, politicized relations, and resonant virtues that clustered in each community context as a prevailing civics and discourse. In one community, the prevailing civics and discourse helped to ease locals toward acceptance, while in the other two communities, they helped to intensify skepticism and risk dispute. Through comparative analysis, the book shows why societal attempts to manage risk require greater attention to the local level where public understanding is often forged and political engagement arises and unfolds.Less
The anthrax attacks of 2001 provoked deep concern and urgency among U.S. security elites regarding bioterrorism. Coming after 9/11 and followed by the successive menace of West Nile virus, SARS, avian influenza, and most recently Ebola these events prompted the federal government to pursue an aggressive new biodefense agenda. Even given the purported menace of bio-catastrophe, however, the new federal risk management plans stirred controversy. Community at Risk provides a comparative view of that controversy as it ensued in three communities where universities sought to host and manage National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBL) on behalf of the federal government. NBLs are a cornerstone of federal biodefense plans; they are ultrasecure laboratories where research on the most dangerous diseases can be conducted and microbiological and biomedical applications can be rapidly developed and deployed. By comparing community responses, the book highlights the role that local civic political dynamics play in defining what is at stake and perceptions of acceptable and unacceptable risk. It explains the civic politics of risk as rooted in locally shared governance conventions, politicized relations, and resonant virtues that clustered in each community context as a prevailing civics and discourse. In one community, the prevailing civics and discourse helped to ease locals toward acceptance, while in the other two communities, they helped to intensify skepticism and risk dispute. Through comparative analysis, the book shows why societal attempts to manage risk require greater attention to the local level where public understanding is often forged and political engagement arises and unfolds.
Thomas A. Loughran, Alex R. Piquero, Jeffrey Fagan, and Edward P. Mulvey
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814721377
- eISBN:
- 9780814721384
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814721377.003.0009
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This chapter examines ways of deterring serious and chronic offenders based on evidence from the Pathways to Desistance Study, which addresses the issue of perceptions of deterrence and looks into ...
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This chapter examines ways of deterring serious and chronic offenders based on evidence from the Pathways to Desistance Study, which addresses the issue of perceptions of deterrence and looks into the mechanisms of deterrence for serious offenders. After a brief overview of the Pathways study, the chapter reviews empirical evidence that demonstrates the rationality of high-risk adolescents regarding involvement in crime. It argues that offenders take into account rational-choice perceptions in their offending decisions and goes on to discuss the elasticity and malleability of these perceptions, and whether adolescent offenders act differently when they change risk and cost perceptions. It also considers policy efforts aimed at maximizing deterrence among adolescent offenders and concludes by outlining future directions for theory and research.Less
This chapter examines ways of deterring serious and chronic offenders based on evidence from the Pathways to Desistance Study, which addresses the issue of perceptions of deterrence and looks into the mechanisms of deterrence for serious offenders. After a brief overview of the Pathways study, the chapter reviews empirical evidence that demonstrates the rationality of high-risk adolescents regarding involvement in crime. It argues that offenders take into account rational-choice perceptions in their offending decisions and goes on to discuss the elasticity and malleability of these perceptions, and whether adolescent offenders act differently when they change risk and cost perceptions. It also considers policy efforts aimed at maximizing deterrence among adolescent offenders and concludes by outlining future directions for theory and research.
Cheris Shun-ching Chan
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195394078
- eISBN:
- 9780199951154
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195394078.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
This chapter provides a context for the ethnographic stories that unfold in subsequent chapters. It begins with a brief historical background of commercial life insurance in China, dating back to the ...
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This chapter provides a context for the ethnographic stories that unfold in subsequent chapters. It begins with a brief historical background of commercial life insurance in China, dating back to the early nineteenth century through the end of the Maoist regime. Then, it details the economic, institutional, and cultural conditions in urban China in the late 1980s to the 1990s, and assesses each of these conditions’ possible impacts on the development of commercial life insurance, both favourable and unfavourable. In particular, the chapter details how major cultural barriers to life insurance, including the Chinese cultural taboo on death, are rooted in Chinese philosophical and folk religious traditions. Finally, it relates these institutional and cultural conditions to the theoretical questions of the book. It presents the characteristics of the emergent Chinese market, namely its uneven growth pattern, the dominance of domestic insurers, and its disproportionate focus on money management, and argues that neither the cultural value nor the cultural tool-kit model alone is sufficient to explain these characteristics.Less
This chapter provides a context for the ethnographic stories that unfold in subsequent chapters. It begins with a brief historical background of commercial life insurance in China, dating back to the early nineteenth century through the end of the Maoist regime. Then, it details the economic, institutional, and cultural conditions in urban China in the late 1980s to the 1990s, and assesses each of these conditions’ possible impacts on the development of commercial life insurance, both favourable and unfavourable. In particular, the chapter details how major cultural barriers to life insurance, including the Chinese cultural taboo on death, are rooted in Chinese philosophical and folk religious traditions. Finally, it relates these institutional and cultural conditions to the theoretical questions of the book. It presents the characteristics of the emergent Chinese market, namely its uneven growth pattern, the dominance of domestic insurers, and its disproportionate focus on money management, and argues that neither the cultural value nor the cultural tool-kit model alone is sufficient to explain these characteristics.
