Corporate power and the politics of uncertainty: conflicts surrounding major hazard plants at Canvey Island

Abstract

The process of risk assessment should allow decision makers to achieve an equitable resolution of risk problems by reference to their probability, conse quences and acceptability. Recent research has suggested that corporate inter ests are able to use such data to gain political advantage over other interested parties. In this respect there are three competing explanations as to the power of corporations to influence decisions, namely pluralism, structural Marxism and elite theory. These perspectives will be reviewed along with the role of science in policy-making. The objective here is to explore some of the problems involved in using probabilistic risk assessment within public sector decision making for major hazard sites, using Canvey Island as a basis for the discussion.