A Critique of the Social Amplification of Risk Framework from the Power Perspective

Abstract

The social amplification of risk framework is an influential framework in the field of risk communication. It provides a useful lens to examine how a risk argument becomes amplified in a policy context, and it is therefore central to this book. This chapter provides an account of the social amplification of risk framework and explores key concepts within the literature that inform the critique of the framework. Specifically, this chapter teases out the role of power and expertise, and then communication and trust in shaping the social amplification (or attenuation) of public health risk and safety.