Sustainability and Social Justice
Document Type
Article
Abstract
In this article, we use system/network theory together with the social amplification of risk framework (SARF) to show how expert actors over time and across multiple events can contribute to social risk amplification and attenuation. The framework and the theory, in particular the concepts of risk emplacement and displacement, are employed in the analysis of an illustrative case related to the use of the feed additive, narasin, and provide explanations of how risks are part of continuously ongoing and dynamic social processes. By emphasizing the role of experts in such developments, connecting what happens in expert communities with the processing of risks and effects on the outside, the analysis shows the larger context within which social risk attenuation and amplification happen. Showing the value of integrating different theories and perspectives, this article lays the foundations for further studies of risk amplification and attenuation dynamics. Based on the results of the analysis, we indicate opportunities to update and further develop the SARF. We also present some implications for public policy and risk management practices including addressing the positive contributions of risk amplification and how this relates to adaptive risk management approaches.
Publication Title
Journal of Risk Research
Publication Date
2024
Volume
27
Issue
2
First Page
219
Last Page
237
ISSN
1366-9877
DOI
10.1080/13669877.2024.2317317
Keywords
risk emplacement/displacement, risk perception, role of experts, Social risk amplification/attenuation, system/network theory
Repository Citation
Fjaeran, Lisbet; Gould, Kenneth Pettersen; and Goble, Rob, "Before amplification: the role of experts in the dynamics of the social attenuation and amplification of risk" (2024). Sustainability and Social Justice. 565.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_idce/565
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.