9.3 Aims and Levels of Societal Dialogue
223
9.3
Aims and Levels of Societal Dialogue
Following a technical risk assessment (see Chaps. 6, 7, and 8), residual risks
in particular need to be addressed through a risk-benefit dialogue with relevant
stakeholders. Overall, a risk-benefit dialogue should seek to:
• Find risk evaluation criteria that are as widely supported as possible
• Allow for the participation of skeptical stakeholders or of those with opposing
views
• Gain understanding and acceptance from an informed public
• Understand the reasons for any critical, subjective assessments of risks
A risk-benefit dialogue can be understood as comprising three levels:
• The technical level: Includes the technical risk calculation and development
of technical management options to minimize residual risk. Efforts are led by
technical experts.
• The perception level: Identifies assessment and measurement criteria for the
risks. Efforts are led by natural and social science experts.
• The decision-making level: Decides on the acceptability of the risk. These
decisions are often made within governmental institutions such as public health,
safety, and environmental authorities.
On the technical level, risk is primarily centered around technical issues relating
to plants, processes, and products. The business environment involving customers
and suppliers also plays an important role. Through risk assessment, potentially
critical conditions are determined through data collection and the creation of
scenarios resulting in estimated impacts and their probabilities of occurrence. Once
specific, protective measures have been defined to manage the risk, the residual risk
still needs to be determined.
On the perception level, the focus is on the perception and assessment of the
risks and benefits by particular individuals and stakeholders, who often have diverse
perspectives regarding a technology. In a society with a multitude of lifestyles,
value systems, and world views, differentiated groups emerge that have different
patterns of perception and logical reasoning. In particular, differences in perception
can often arise when a technology benefits other stakeholders than those that would
be subjected to the associated risk(s). Such stakeholders may have little to no basic
knowledge about the scientific or technical aspects of the technology.
The decision-making level of risk-benefit dialogue then considers the residual
risk determined on the technical level as well as the evaluation criteria on the
perceptive level to engage in a dialogue with all stakeholders and arrive at a decision
on whether the risk is acceptable or not. This is often facilitated and/or managed
within the legal and regulatory framework(s) in place, and it results in updated
regulations that reflect the level of risk deemed acceptable.
223
9.3
Aims and Levels of Societal Dialogue
Following a technical risk assessment (see Chaps. 6, 7, and 8), residual risks
in particular need to be addressed through a risk-benefit dialogue with relevant
stakeholders. Overall, a risk-benefit dialogue should seek to:
• Find risk evaluation criteria that are as widely supported as possible
• Allow for the participation of skeptical stakeholders or of those with opposing
views
• Gain understanding and acceptance from an informed public
• Understand the reasons for any critical, subjective assessments of risks
A risk-benefit dialogue can be understood as comprising three levels:
• The technical level: Includes the technical risk calculation and development
of technical management options to minimize residual risk. Efforts are led by
technical experts.
• The perception level: Identifies assessment and measurement criteria for the
risks. Efforts are led by natural and social science experts.
• The decision-making level: Decides on the acceptability of the risk. These
decisions are often made within governmental institutions such as public health,
safety, and environmental authorities.
On the technical level, risk is primarily centered around technical issues relating
to plants, processes, and products. The business environment involving customers
and suppliers also plays an important role. Through risk assessment, potentially
critical conditions are determined through data collection and the creation of
scenarios resulting in estimated impacts and their probabilities of occurrence. Once
specific, protective measures have been defined to manage the risk, the residual risk
still needs to be determined.
On the perception level, the focus is on the perception and assessment of the
risks and benefits by particular individuals and stakeholders, who often have diverse
perspectives regarding a technology. In a society with a multitude of lifestyles,
value systems, and world views, differentiated groups emerge that have different
patterns of perception and logical reasoning. In particular, differences in perception
can often arise when a technology benefits other stakeholders than those that would
be subjected to the associated risk(s). Such stakeholders may have little to no basic
knowledge about the scientific or technical aspects of the technology.
The decision-making level of risk-benefit dialogue then considers the residual
risk determined on the technical level as well as the evaluation criteria on the
perceptive level to engage in a dialogue with all stakeholders and arrive at a decision
on whether the risk is acceptable or not. This is often facilitated and/or managed
within the legal and regulatory framework(s) in place, and it results in updated
regulations that reflect the level of risk deemed acceptable.