The Social Dimensions of Expert Knowledge about Risk

Abstract

This paper argues that the field of risk communication should pay more attention to studying experts and the knowledge that they produce. In particular, I suggest that examining the social dimensions of expert knowledge about risk is worthwhile for both instrumental and theoretical reasons. From an instrumental point of view, understanding what shapes expert knowledge about risk could contribute to better risk management. In many risk areas, decision making involves complex negotiations about the strength of technical evidence — often in a context of scientific uncertainty, disagreement about the credibility of different types of expertise, and struggle among a variety of actors. Indeed, the social and political challenges of creating credible sources of expertise and credible knowledge often rank among the significant obstacles to policy making about risk. For this reason, society’s ability to address risk depends not only on sophisticated analytic methods and communication strategies, but also on a reflexive understanding of how our modes of knowing shape what we believe and what we do about risk. This is the English version of a paper published in Spanish: “Las Dimensiones Sociales del Conocimiento Experto del Riesgo,” in Moreno Castro, Carolina, ed., Comunicar Los Riesgos (Spain: Biblioteca Nueva, 2009).