Abstract
Risk analysis and environmental impact assessment are topics of interest because they have become infused with a modern tendency to politicize what formally used to be the relatively unchallenged domain of experts. Scientists and other experts like to provide “right” answers, but politicans want “clear” answers and tend to become confused when scientific debate becomes suffused with political purpose. Scientists do not function well if 1) they are opposed by other scientists who produce different facts and analyses; 2) the points they wish to argue cannot be proven absolutely; and 3) the analyses they wish to undertake are infused with controversy as to meaning and political purpose. Consequently, politicians tend to use scientific information in different ways to justify taking or avoiding a decision, interest groups align themselves to scientific advice for political purposes, and the bemused general public is usually bypassed as with other matters of great public interest. Case studies to illustrate the more general points raised in this paper will be used to illustrate the actual presentation.
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O’Riordan, T. (1985). Political Decisionmaking and Scientific Indeterminacy. In: Covello, V.T., Mumpower, J.L., Stallen, P.J.M., Uppuluri, V.R.R. (eds) Environmental Impact Assessment, Technology Assessment, and Risk Analysis. NATO ASI Series, vol 4. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70634-9_35
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70634-9_35
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