Public participation and risk governance

摘要

'Risk governance' is by now a widely used expression, combining two concepts that are apparently separate, but belong instead to spheres of investigation and practical interest that are strictly intertwined and partially overlapping. Many discussions about technological innovation or development occur nowadays in the public arena and are broadly framed, including considerations about health, safety, environment, distributional and ethical issues, thus touching on the interests and values of many stakeholders. Many opportunities are emerging for incorporating societal concerns as well as 'non-standard' knowledge in the governance of risks. Yet the full realisation of a kind of participate governance is enormously difficult: it requires a shift of mentality, broad changes in professional and institutional practices, and the design and implementation of new instruments and procedures.