Risk Management and Communication

Abstract

Risk management and communication are timeless challenges of human society (recently reemphasized as risk society). Risk management and communication entails policies, plans, goals, practices, functions, rhetoric operations, customs, and cultures that reflect the ability of individuals, groups, organizations, and communities to reduce risks and the likelihood they will manifest into crises, and the planning and communication before, during, and after an event that strategically increases safety or fairly distributes risk. Conceptualized as such, risk is uncertainty regarding the occurrences and consequences (benefit/harm) of events, choices, actions, and such matters that constitute the conditions of risks and responses to them. Four models have emerged: mental models, risk perception, critical and cultural assessments, and infrastructural risk management and communication. Management presumes the role of technical assessment (sound science) and strategic planning based on precautionary principles. Risk communication, whether one‐way or two‐way, presumes the ability to bring technical expertise (efficacy) into play to maximize social trust and response efficacy.