The Economics of Natural Hazards, 2 Volume Set (International Library of Critical Writings in Economics)

Book Description

With the media hyping so much misleading information about risks, it's a relief to discover True Odds. --John Stossel, ABC News 20/20

Customer Reviews:

In praise of rationality.......2007-08-10

Aims to discuss risks in everyday life at a level "between dense technical volumes
and daffy oversimplifications". Structured around 16 particular topics, from
concrete concerns of individuals (violent crime; cell phones and brain cancer; secondhand smoke) to more general topics (moral hazard of insurance; lotteries are a tax on the stupid). A main focus is on the interaction between scientific data, media reporting, legislation promoted by interest groups, and regulation by government agencies. By presenting these case studies from recent history (1975-1995), the author provides an insightful overview of the real-world interplay of the scientific, psychological and political aspects of dealing with risk. This book is implicitly a well-justified polemic in favor of rational quantatitive risk assessment and against the media scares, extremist environmental lawyers and inflexible "command and control" bureaucracy that waste billions of dollars whose diversion from more rational use causes unnecessary death and suffering.

Though serious, well researched and an engaging read, I do have some quibbles. The
lack of explicit citations makes it unhelpful as scholarship. By mixing several
styles (historical case studies, discussion of scientific methodology, polemic) the
book appears somewhat unfocused. And the unusual typography (a typical page has
seven two-sentence paragraphs separated by white space) reinforces the impression
that the author was assiduous in collecting information but put less effort into
organizing a coherent narrative. Finally, the subtitle is misleading: a reader
seeking a straightforward, detailed and explicit analysis of risks in everyday life
would be better served by Risk: A Practical Guide for Deciding What's Really Safe and What's Really Dangerous in the World Around You.

pro-corporate, anti-values politics mars the science.......2007-07-25

This book is all about facing risks as individuals- which is fine, but it also makes sweeping political judgments based on the assesments. On the section about banning the use of Alar on apples and the politics behind it, he writes- "instead of NRC's estimated cancer risk of 1,462 deaths per million from pesticides on apples, the researchers found only 0.07 per million." Well, that may sound like decent odds for me when deciding to eat an apple, but is it really acceptable to for the unlucky person who does get cancer? The author points out several times that alar is not a pesticide, even while presenting numbers on the cancer risks of pesticides. Alar is a growth regulator,"so they are more colorful and crisp at harvest." I can understand the usefulness of some pesticides, but why should we accept ANY risks from a growth regulator? This isn't family values, or traditional values conservatism, but Dickensian, bean-counting, pure economic right-wing bias. I don't want bias from the left or right, or political interpretations, I just wanted straight facts. This book doesn't leave the findings to stand on their own. Are most popular books about risk assessment thinly disguised pro-corporate propaganda? I hope not.

Practical look at the real odds that threaten people's lives.......2003-02-09

Enhanced with an extended bibliography and an exhaustive index, True Odds: How Risk Affects Your Everyday Life by James Walsh is a very straightforward and practical look of the real odds that threaten people's lives or health. Rejecting anecdotal evidence and media scare tactics for solid, statistical, reliable information on what really are the greatest threats facing life in the modern world, True Odds comes very highly recommended for the non-specialist general reader as being a realistic source of information concerning everything from crime and accident rates to having sufficient money saved upon retirement.

Integrated Risk and Vulnerability Management Assisted by Decision Support Systems: Relevance and Impact on Governance (Topics in Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality)

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Integrated Risk and Vulnerability Management Assisted by Decision Support Systems: Relevance and Impact on Governance (Topics in Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402034512

Book Description

The purpose of the present volume is to bridge the gap between risk sciences and decision support tools, in view of a better performance in governance. In particular, the main objectives are: to define the knowledge management methods and tools applicable in risk governance; to bring experience from the application of methods and tools available in various disciplines to other fields of risk governance; to determine the present and future needs for knowledge management tools in risk governance; and to promote the development and dissemination of such tools in a problem-solving context and for educational purposes.

This collection of papers addresses questions, and provides tentative answers to issues such as: 'do adequate tools for risk governance exist'; 'are they available to decision-makers'; 'what are the needs of the various stakeholders (i.e. planners, regulators, industry, public) for an effective risk management'; 'what new tools have to be developed in order to cover these needs', and 'what features should they have'. The range of applications and associated decision support tools to address aspects of integrated risk and vulnerability management by use of decision support systems cover numerous disciplines and fields of application including process industry, transportation, natural disasters, emerging risks, critical infrastructures, insurance, and national security related aspects.

The Perception of Risk (Earthscan Risk and Society Series)

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Risk book purchase without risk

The Perception of Risk (Earthscan Risk and Society Series)
Paul Slovic
Manufacturer: Earthscan Publications Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1853835285

Book Description

The concept of risk is an outgrowth of our society's great concern about coping with the dangers of modern life. "The Perception of Risk" brings together the work of Paul Slovic, one of the world's leading analysts of risk, risk perception and risk management.
It examines the gap between the expert view of risk and public perceptions of it. Presented in chronological order, it allows the reader to see the evolution of such perceptions of risk over the years, from highlighting public misconceptions of risk to recent work that recognizes the importance of equity, trust, power and other value-laden issues underlying public concern.
New methods for assessing perceptions are described, as are implications for regulation and public policy. In a new departure, the perceptions of adolescents as well as adults, are examined.
In an excellent overview of the critical issues involved in risk perception, this volume examines issues such as:
societal risk taking;
decision making in mental health law;
rating risks;
facts versus fears;
informing and educating the public about risk;
perceived risks and the politics of nuclear waste; and
perceived risk, trust and democracy.
Written by the expert in the field of risk studies, this eagerly awaited volume provides an essential guide to all those who have an interest in the public perception of risk including regulators, lawyers, policy makers and the business community as well as academics from the fields of public health and environment, economics, sociology and political science

Customer Reviews:

Risk book purchase without risk.......2001-06-23

How often have I wished I had the publications of particularly productive scientists bound together in one document. Despite modern IT-technique, which increases the availability of such publications, an appropriate book is still superior. Now there is such a book for those who are interested in risk from a psychological point of view. Its title is: "The Perception of Risk" and it contains 26 of the most important publications by Paul Slovic from the last 25 years. It starts with an introduction in which Paul summarizes and gives his perspectives on his papers.

No one who has come across the term risk perception can have missed Paul Slovic's name. As one of the leading scientists in the field of risk perception, Paul has covered large areas and tackled various problems in order to show how we view, react to, and handle situations and problems related to what we in common language call risk.

To call him one of the founders of the psychometric paradigm is too plain a characterization of the scientific contribution of Paul Slovic. The psychometric methodology is just the means he has used to study how human beings perceive, judge and make decisions about risk in various situations. He has introduced psychological aspects of risk into natural sciences, where risk earlier has been considered as a numerical and objectively assessable quantity. Now physicists, chemists, and even engineers realize that risk perception cannot be ignored and is influenced by many factors (e.g. voluntariness, familiarity, dread, equity) relating to risk and how risk is described. For those who want to make risk comparisons, inform people about risks or do anything else regarding risk, it is necessary to be familiar with risk perception.

With his great openness, Paul has been able to collaborate with scientists from many different areas, both scientifically and geographically. In this way he has improved and enriched his work with practical aspects in many domains, particularly radioactivity and use of chemicals. Therefore it possible for most scientists to find in this book interesting reading related to their own problems. The book only contains about an eighth (but a representative sample) of Paul's total scientific production. As the papers are ordered chronologically, it is easy to follow the development in time of different ideas and conclusions and to see how later studies derive from earlier ones in a logical way. Thus, in the two last chapters of the book, the ideas and views on risk are further expanded and offer exciting vistas for the future. In the same way as many of Paul's earlier ideas have been accepted and continued by later researchers, his recent views about "the affect heuristic" most certainly will be the subject for many future scientific publications.

Book Description

This book challenges the claim that the precautionary principle is an appropriate guide to public policy decision-making in the face of uncertainty.

The precautionary principle is frequently invoked as a justification for regulating human activities. From bans on the use of growth hormones in cattle to restrictions on children's playground activities, precautionary thinking seems to be taking over our lives. As the contributors to this book show, such an approach is of dubious utility and may even be counterproductive.

This is a timely and important contribution to the debate on how to manage risk in the modern world.

The editor, Julian Morris, is Director of the Environment and Technology Programme at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London. He has written widely on issues relating to environmental protection and technological development.

Up to date discussion of current issues and scientific controversies.
Challenges the claim that the 'precautionary principle' is an appropriate guide to public policy decisions.

Risk Regulation at Risk: Restoring a Pragmatic Approach

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Risk Regulation at Risk: Restoring a Pragmatic Approach
Sidney A. Shapiro , and Robert L. Glicksman
Manufacturer: Stanford Law and Politics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0804751021
Release Date: 2002-09-25

Book Description

In the 1960s and 1970s, Congress enacted a vast body of legislation to protect the environment and individual health and safety. Collectively, this legislation is known as “risk regulation” because it addresses the risk of harm that technology creates for individuals and the environment. In the last two decades, this legislation has come under increasing attack by critics who employ utilitarian philosophy and cost-benefit analysis. The defenders of this body of risk regulation, by contrast, have lacked a similar unifying theory.

In this book, the authors propose that the American tradition of philosophical pragmatism fills this vacuum. They argue that pragmatism offers a better method for conceiving of and implementing risk regulation than the economic paradigm favored by its critics. While pragmatism offers a methodology in support of risk regulation as it was originally conceived, it also offers a perspective from which this legislation can be held up to critical appraisal. The authors employ pragmatism to support risk regulation, but pragmatism also leads them to agree with some of the criticisms against it, and even to level new criticisms of their own.

In the end, the authors reject the picture—painted by risk regulation’s critics—of widely excessive and irrational regulation, but the pragmatic perspective also leads them to propose a number of recommendations for useful reforms to risk regulation.

Triple Bottom Line Risk Management: Enhancing Profit, Environmental Performance, and Community Benefits

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Triple Bottom Line Risk Management: Enhancing Profit, Environmental Performance, and Community Benefits
Adrian R. Bowden , Malcolm R. Lane , and Julia H. Martin
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 047141557X

Book Description

An innovative, new approach to risk assessment and management that will help you uncover countless opportunities for your company

If a business wants to be sustainable in the twenty-first century, it should focus on the continuous improvements and potential opportunities that risk management offers. Written by risk management experts, this book will provide you with the necessary tools and guidance for the successful management of business risk so you can improve your company's triple bottom line—the social, environmental, and financial accountability of your business. The authors introduce the RISQUE method, which was specifically developed to address a diverse range of events and issues. It offers a multifaceted approach, using a rational process, which will help you make informed, defensible risk management decisions. You'll gain a better understanding of the methodology, assumptions, advantages, and disadvantages of this approach. You'll also see how the method can be applied to specific areas within your business to reduce risk and increase opportunities. And you'll learn the necessary skills to implement a risk management process that will demonstrate commitment to triple bottom line management.

To enhance the material presented, numerous case studies are included that will help you understand how to:

Select and justify the best option for a project
Determine how much additional liability you'll gain through an acquisition
Account for nonquantifiable events
Understand how much your company needs to set aside for future liabilities
Discover which asset management strategy gives you the best return
Use loss of life as a measure of risk to public safety
Calculate and report contingent liability on your balance sheet
Develop an insurance strategy based on your profile of risk

Risk and Uncertainty in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

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Risk and Uncertainty in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Netherlands) International Conference on Risk and Uncertainty in Environmental and Resource Economics (2002 : Wageningen
Manufacturer: Edward Elgar Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1843766094

Book Description

This book explores some of the complexities of decision-making under risk and uncertainty in environmental and natural resource economics. Risk and uncertainty are inherent problems for economists, and the authors in this volume offer numerous challenges and opportunities to improve the tools we use to assess these concepts.

They begin by studying various environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity conservation to underline the importance of identifying different forms of uncertainty and irreversibility. They move on to consider the implications risk and uncertainty have on economic development and environmental policies, and study the attitudes of different user-groups to these issues. Finally, they examine the natural resource management dilemmas faced by the private sector including issues of optimal resource allocation, insurance problems and consumer behavior.

Book Description

This critique of political risk insurance (PRI), the type of insurance used by large-scale mining projects, includes six case studies that show how PRI has severe negative social and environmental impacts on mining communities. Included are descriptions of such landmark cases as the Omai gold mine in Guyana, which was insured through PRI by the World Bank and the Canadian government and whose waste facilities completely collapsed, causing the country's worst environmental disaster in recorded history. Conclusions are drawn about the failure of insuring agencies such as the World Bank to anticipate the consequences of major mining projects and consider the effects of large-scale mining on sustainable development.

The Risk Professionals (Social Research Perspectives : Occasional Reports on Current Topics, No 14)

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The Risk Professionals (Social Research Perspectives : Occasional Reports on Current Topics, No 14)
Thomas Dietz , and Robert W. Rycroft
Manufacturer: Russell Sage Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0871542145

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