Risk Society Research Articles

AI and cybersecurity: a risk society perspective

IntroductionThe rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has introduced transformative potential across various sectors, while simultaneously posing significant cybersecurity risks.MethodsThe aim of this paper is to examine the debates on AI-related cybersecurity risks through the lens of Beck’s theory of the risk society. Utilizing thematic content analysis, we explored public discourse on AI and cybersecurity as presented in articles published by WIRED.ResultsOur analysis identified several key themes: the global nature of AI risks, their pervasive influence across multiple sectors, the alteration of public trust, the individualization of risk, and the uneven distribution of AI risks and benefits.DiscussionThe editorial choices in WIRED predominantly favor a functionalist and solutionist perspective on AI cybersecurity risks, often marginalizing the opinions of ordinary individuals and non-Western voices. This editorial bias tends to limit diversity and underrepresent key opposing viewpoints, potentially hindering a more comprehensive and nuanced debate on AI and cybersecurity issues.

Downwind of the Atomic State: Atmospheric Testing and the Rise of the Risk Society

Downwind of the Atomic State: Atmospheric Testing and the Rise of the Risk Society

Imaging characteristics and clinical outcomes of hemodialysis vs. non-hemodialysis patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a Japanese single-center experience.

In 2021, Japan approved transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (ESRD-HD). Yet, clinical/anatomical differences and outcomes between patients with and without ESRD-HD remain underexplored. This single-center study enrolled consecutive patients who underwent TAVR with the SAPIEN 3 between 2021 and 2023. Baseline characteristics and outcomes up to 1year were compared. Inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) approach and Cox regression were used. Among 287 eligible patients, 59 had ESRD-HD. Patients with ESRD-HD were predominantly male (59.2% vs. 40.7%; p = 0.01), younger (78.0 [73.5-83.5] vs. 84.0 [79.8-88.0]; < 0.001), with lower body mass index (21.4 [19.6-23.3] vs. 22.9 [20.3-25.3]; p = 0.02], higher surgical risk (Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality ≧8%: 28 [47.5%] vs. 34 [14.9%]; p < 0.001), and more peripheral artery disease (25.4% vs. 4.8%; p < 0.001). Patients with ESRD-HD had a significantly higher prevalence of severely calcified femoral arteries (12.5% vs. 2.6%; p < 0.001). However, there were no differences in the computed-tomographic (CT) anatomical characteristics of the aortic valve complex (AVC), including the aortic valve calcium score (1995 [1372-3374] vs. 2195 [1380-3172]; p = 0.65) or the presence of moderate or severe left ventricular outflow tract calcification (4.3% vs. 5.2%; p > 0.99). Major vascular complications were rare, and technical (98.3% vs. 98.7%; p > 0.99) and device success (75.9% vs. 82.4%; p = 0.26) rates were high in both. At 1year, there were no significant differences in a composite endpoint of death, stroke, major bleeding, or myocardial infarction (32.4% vs. 33.2%; HR 1.12; 95% CI 0.45-2.80; p = 0.81), nor its components after baseline adjustment.

Intellectual Capital: Revisiting an Analytical Model

The world’s economy is experiencing important changes brought on by diverse factors, namely technological advancements, the appearance and diffusion of personal computers, high-speed telecommunications, and the Internet. These technological changes have influenced the corporate environment, with recent decades denominated as the information economy, the digital economy, the economy of knowledge, a risk society, and the age of quality and innovation. To designate the key concept of the new economic era as “intellectual capital” implies a classification and evaluation effort in order to proceed with its generalization. In today’s world, the study of a model capable of adding explanatory diversity to intellectual capital is very relevant. We observed a true panoply of concepts in the analyzed models based on a literature review. The conceptual evolution during recent decades has motivated many investigations in this field, resulting from the phenomenon of globalization, growing technological innovation, and the observation of significant disparities between the market value and the accounting value of companies. This article describes an investigation carried out, presenting an explicative model of intellectual capital based on four distinct patterns, which are the aggregating factors of the existing conceptual diversity. We present the identification of a model with two axes, x (the type of knowledge, from tacit to explicit) and y (the capital of knowledge, from human to structural), which represents the conceptual diversity mirrored in four quadrants resulting from the research carried out with an initial exploratory study and two following studies with 45 and 72 specialists. In this article we analyze the Martins model, which proves to be essential for systematizing and mapping the dimensions that intellectual capital includes. This model can be used to identify the different aspects of intellectual capital in an organization and thus contribute to its understanding, optimization and good management.

Tutoria na Pandemia: os desafios de sempre, os novos e as lições permanentes

University life is full of challenges that add up and the pandemic has shaken social and educational systems, reaffirming existing vulnerabilities and creating new ones. This work, developed on the Mentoring Program of the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities of the University of São Paulo, set out to think about these challenges, ways to improve tutoring and learning in this context. Among the challenges, we find: lack of institutional support; tutors’ response capabilities; availability of tutors; and adherence to program activities. However, there are many potentialities that extend to both professional and academic as well as personal spheres. So, suggestions for the program were listed, including a calendar of activities, participation in the organization of events and involvement in scientific activities. Permanent lessons include: 1. the virus was not the protagonist in deaths during the pandemic; 2. our risk society demands that we be prepared for anything and everything; 3. human values help us face adversity.

Planetary risk society: from ignored problems to fast solutions

ABSTRACT This article compares the slow response time to the dangers posed by greenhouse gases to the swift move to phase-out ozone-depleting substances after the 1985 discovery of the ‘ozone hole’. I suggest both commercial and psychological factors account for the disparity in reactions, in particular the perceived ability to distance ourselves from the risks and uncertainties that our economic activities create. To prevent irreversible damage to the Earth System, I further argue it is crucial to minimise the time that elapses between recognising emerging problems and taking concrete action to address them. Finally, I outline the implications of these case studies for the global chemical industry, where the rapid introduction of novel entities requires a bold regulatory response to safeguard our planet.

Trends in Transcatheter Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement Outcomes in Patients With Low-Surgical Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.

Limited data exist on long-term outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). This meta-analysis aims to elucidate outcome trends following TAVR versus SAVR in patients with severe aortic stenosis and low-surgical risk. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases from inception until May 2024, to identify studies comparing TAVR versus SAVR in patients with low-surgical risk (Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality score <4%). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included cardiovascular mortality, stroke, disabling stroke, rehospitalization, myocardial infarction, aortic valve reintervention, permanent pacemaker implantation, and new-onset atrial fibrillation. Binary random-effects models were used to compare the risk of each outcome across various follow-up intervals and the risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias-2 tool. The meta-analysis included 6 randomized trials including 4682 patients. TAVR was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality than SAVR in the 30-day (hazard ratio [HR: 0.45] [95% CI: 0.26-0.77], I2: 0%) and 30-day to 1-year (HR: 0.55 [95% CI: 0.37-0.81], I2: 16%) follow-ups. However, the risk of all-cause mortality was similar during >1-year follow-ups. TAVR was associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, disabling stroke, rehospitalization, new-onset atrial fibrillation, and a higher risk of permanent pacemaker implantation compared with SAVR during the 30-day follow-up. TAVR was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality within the first year of post-procedural follow-up compared with SAVR. However, the risk of all-cause mortality was similar in >1-year follow-ups.

The compromises and contradictions of ‘feminist’ sex and relationships education in the home: empowerment vs. protection in digital risk societies

ABSTRACT This paper discusses findings from interviews conducted in England with 15 self-identified feminist mothers about sex and relationships education in the home. Participants’ understandings and enactments of being sexuality educators for their children involved what they described as open and honest ‘sex positive’ communication with their children, based on their subjective views about gender and sexual rights, safety and wellbeing. Participants were concerned about protecting their children from oftentimes gendered risks of judgement shame and abuse. Feminist sex and relationships education in the home for these mothers was shaped, and sometimes constrained, by the gendered sociocultural conditions of their children’s lives. Implications are discussed regarding the need for self-reflexivity amongst feminist mothers, supported by collaborative local and community educational initiatives to identify and collectively tackle the social contexts in which risks and harms arise for children.

Risk, emotion and responsibility: an analysis of the storylines used by vaccine hesitant mothers

Under processes of responsibilisation and individualisation in the ‘risk society’, as well as discourses of intensive motherhood, mothers are expected to make ‘good’ decisions regarding their children’s health. Consequently, decision-making concerning childhood vaccination becomes an emotionally challenging process, as mothers strive to minimise risk while simultaneously promoting and protecting health. Existing research shows that a substantial number of parents of young children have concerns regarding childhood vaccination. This article aims to examine how mothers who identify as vaccine hesitant dynamically construct risk, emotion, and responsibility when accounting for their decisions about childhood vaccination. Based on 15 in-depth interviews conducted in Belgium, this article reports the findings of a discourse analysis. For the latter, we draw on positioning theory and Lupton’s emotion-risk assemblage. The findings report three storylines that mothers discursively construct when discussing risk and responsibility in relation to childhood vaccination, namely a health promotion, a maternal protection and a critical healthcare consumer storyline. These storylines help to clarify the fluid and multidimensional nature of the mothers’ accounts of vaccine hesitancy. Furthermore, the findings provide empirical evidence for the use of the emotion-risk assemblage, as we find that vaccine hesitant mothers construct risk in relation to feelings of safety, control, empowerment, anxiety, fear, worry, intuition, vulnerability, being overwhelmed, pity and contempt. Overall, the findings demonstrate that when accounting for their decisions concerning childhood vaccination, hesitant mothers assume responsibilities within a context of social and gendered vulnerability, which affects their constructions of risk.

Aging in a Risk Society: Digital Technology Use and the Risk of Digital Divide in Old Age

Bu çalışma, yaşlı bireylerin dijital teknoloji kullanımı ile dijital bölünme kavramı arasındaki ilişkiyi risk toplumu yaklaşımı temelinde incelemektedir. Risk toplumu, ilk olarak Ulrich Beck tarafından ortaya atılan ve daha sonra Anthony Giddens tarafından ‘risk’ ve ‘geç modernite’ kavramları üzerinden geliştirilen bir yaklaşımdır. “Risk toplumu” fikrine dayanan risk toplumu teorisi, modern toplumlarda risklerin artışına ve bu risklerin sosyal, ekonomik ve siyasi sonuçlarına odaklanan teorik bir çerçeveyi ifade etmektedir. Bu bağlamda araştırma, Giddens ve Beck’in çalışmalarında ortaya koydukları modern toplumlarda risk ve belirsizliklerin arttığı fikrine dayanmaktadır. Risk toplumu yaklaşımı, demografik yaşlanmanın merkezinde yer alan çağdaş toplumun karşılaştığı riskleri anlamak ve yönetmek için kritik önem taşımaktadır. Modern çağda yaşlı insanlar çevresel, sağlık, finansal, sosyal, psikolojik ve teknolojik riskler gibi birçok alanda sorunlarla karşılaşabilmektedir. Risk toplumu teorisinden yola çıkan bu çalışma, günümüz toplumlarında yaşlı bireylerin dijital teknoloji ile etkileşimini, dijitalleşmenin yaşam kalitesi üzerindeki etkilerini ve dijital dünyada karşılaştıkları riskleri teorik bir yaklaşımla sosyolojik bir perspektiften incelemektedir. Buna ek olarak, araştırma kapsamında Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu’nun (TÜİK) Hanehalkı Bilişim Teknolojileri (BT) Kullanım Araştırması veri setleri analiz edilerek dijital bölünmenin yaşlı bireyler üzerindeki etkileri detaylandırılmıştır. Ayrıca literatür taraması ile dijital bölünme riski, yaşlı bireylerin dijital teknolojilere uyum sağlama çabaları ve bu süreçte karşılaştıkları engellerin toplumsal yapı ile ilişkisi araştırılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre yaş, cinsiyet, eğitim düzeyi ve ekonomi gibi değişkenler yaşlı bireylerin dijital ve bilişim teknolojilerini kullanma eğilimlerini etkileyen en önemli faktörler arasında yer aldığı anlaşılmıştır. Bu faktörler aynı zamanda teknolojiye erişim, teknolojiye yönelik tutumlar, bilişsel yetenekler ve sosyal destek ağlarının kullanımını da etkilemektedir.

Экософский взгляд на общество риска и возможности медицины в снижении рисковых последствий

The relevance of the topic is due to the formulation of issues related to the state of modern social reality, the presence of risk in it as one of the essential characteristics. Abandoning the past mechanism of development – tradition as a stable foundation, modern society has acquired the specificity of the absence of a non-stop movement – a transition that does not correlate with the movement from one stage to another, more stable, but represents the continuity of the process. This is a fundamentally new ontology of reality, in which the constancy of its movement, instability create a situation where, as U. Beck says, in the rapidity of change, there is a “collapse of scientific, technical and legal rationality” [3, p. 167], traditionally used as a method of organizing public order. The article updates the Platonic category of metaxy (“Timaeus”) as a characteristic of the dynamics of being, its constant ‘intermediacy’ between the ‘past’ and the ‘future’ while eliminating the stable ‘present’. Modern social reality is a meta-reality, a transition in its infi nity of realization, the consequence of which is the risk and fear of falling into the abyss of baselessness. Risk is a specific characteristic of a social movement in the continuity of transition, when the stability of the present is lost, and the horizon of the future is not visible in traditional logic, which causes existential fear that constantly accompanies a person. ‘Risk Society’ (U. Beck) demanded a new rational ‘arrangement’ (A. Giddens) and a relevant methodology for its construction. The article is devoted to the problem of searching for this methodology. As such, the rationality of the emerging new trend in philosophy – ecosophy – is proposed, which actualizes a holistic view of the world, building on the category of ‘life’ in the unity of its manifestations in nature and culture. The problem is solved by contradiction: on the one hand, the risk is associated with the growth of science, which has historically had a humanistic connotation, on the other hand, its embodiments, being realized today in high technologies, turned out to be turning against man. Contradiction initiates risk. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the rationality of the ecosophical content as a methodology for the study of modern risky social ontology caused by scientific technologies, to argue their impact on human health and to show the possibilities of medicine in solving this problem.

Risk society and the challenge of sustainable rural development in the era of pesticides

This study addresses the issue of pesticides in agriculture from the perspective of risk society theory. Through a comprehensive literature review, the study explores the central concepts of the theory, such as manufactured uncertainty, individualization of risks, and the globalization of effects. Pesticides are an emblematic example of modernity's risks. Their widespread use, driven by the pursuit of high productivity, conceals dangers to human health, biodiversity, and ecosystems. The complex and often invisible nature of the impacts of pesticides makes it difficult for society to perceive the risks. This invisibility, combined with unequal access to information and the lack of transparency from the industry, exacerbates the problem. Methodologically, this article presents itself as an exploratory narrative literature review. The final considerations point to ecological-based agriculture as a promising path for building a fairer, more sustainable, and safer agricultural system. Furthermore, Ulrich Beck's risk society theory underscores the urgency of seeking sustainable alternatives for agriculture and public policies that promote social and environmental justice, focusing on agroecology and organic production. This is essential to building a fairer and more sustainable future for the next generations. Additionally, it is important to highlight the need to bring this debate into the realm of public security, as this area plays a crucial role in promoting more sustainable societies with fewer individual and collective risks.

Children and the Risk Society in Algeria: The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Model

This study aims to describe and analyze the trajectory of children in a society exposed to risks, using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example. Due to concerns over virus transmission, the Algerian government, like many others worldwide, has enforced quarantine and home confinement policies. The aim was to prevent the spread of the virus and reduce the number of victims. As a preventive measure, schools were closed from March 12, 2020. The government also imposed partial or total containment measures depending on the severity of the situation in each region. This situation forced people, including children, to stay at home, even though it was not always safe for them. The lockdown has caused significant changes to children's daily routines. Their education, activities, free time and social relationships have been profoundly affected. These upheavals have had repercussions on their psychological, mental and social well-being.

Implicit ecological considerations on Paris Agreement

The object of this study is the structure of the Paris Agreement on the attribution of transparency, the Nationally Determined Contributions, support for the economy and reduction of the emission of polluting gases with consequences of environmental constitutionalism in the Risk Society. The method used to approach is the inductive, through the investigation of bibliographies, rules and laws. The Paris Agreement has not favored mitigation by the international cooperation, although it does offer financing strategies for development projects. Sophisticating documents is not showing the ecological sustainability of human rights as a relationship between all forms of life. Everyone involved in this process needs to have a true and cohesive democratic participation, favoring a new conscience, access to information, popular participation in legislative processes, in decision making and access to environmental justice strengthen the environmental preservation in all its levels.

Chronic challenges: picturing chronic disease by the World Health Organization

Chronic diseases are among the leading causes of mortality in the world, the subject of major regional and international efforts to tackle shared risk factors, implement prevention and control measures...

Strategies and Pathways for High-Quality Development in Primary-level Governance of Campus Security in Higher Education Institutions from a High-Level Security Perspective

At present, China s development is at a critical juncture where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges. Against the backdrop of a risk society, the sudden and frequent occurrence of safety incidents in Chinese universities is evident, characterized by complex causes, severe harm, and far-reaching impacts. To integrate high-level safety throughout all fields and processes of campus safety work, and to strengthen the foundation for campus environmental stability on a broader scale, at a higher starting point, and at a higher level, the governance philosophy should first shift to multi-dimensional co-governance, proactively enhancing systemic resilience, and precise feedback loop governance. Secondly, the framework construction should focus on content expansion, the cultivation of stakeholders, and mechanism construction. Finally, through key strategies and optimization paths, promote high-quality development of Primary-level governance in university campus safety and maintain a safe and stable campus environment.

"This was never about a virus": Perceptions of Vaccination Hazards and Pandemic Risk in #Covid19NZ Tweets.

In this paper, we draw on qualitative methods from the medical humanities and quantitative approaches from corpus linguistics to assess the different mappings of pandemic risks by Twitter (X) users employing the #Covid19nz hashtag. We look specifically at their responses to government measures around vaccines between August and November 2021. Risk, we reveal, was a major discursive thread in tweets during this period, but within our tweets, it was the vaccine rather than the virus around which hazard perception and response were grouped. We find that the discursive stance of those opposed to the vaccine evoked entangled medical and political hazards, untrustworthy experts, obscure information, restrictions on sovereignty, threats to children, and uncertain future dangers, all of which positioned them within what Ulrich Beck termed the world risk society. We also found that these narratives of risk manifested in specific Twitter styles, which employed a consistently larger number of hashtags. The lack of conjunctions between the hashtags, we argue, encouraged a disordered reading of doubt and precaution, as the hashtags presented triggering phrases whose interconnections were hinted at rather than specified. By contrast, those who tweeted in support of government measures were rhetorically led by solutions rather than risks, with one exception: their perception of those who were vaccine opposed. We use scholarship on risk and precautionary logic to map out the contrasting positions in tweets addressing Aotearoa New Zealand's pandemic experience during the closing months of 2021.

Capitalising on Uncertainty: Exploring the Failure of International Law to Address the Risk Generated by the Proliferation of Space Debris

Abstract The increase in the number of space activities in recent decades has led to a concomitant increase in space debris in orbit around Earth. Space debris pose a risk not just for specific satellites, but also on a systemic level, as a collision cascade can result in the near-Earth orbits becoming unusable. In turn, this would entail a loss of the services currently provided through satellites. The international community has recognised this risk. Despite this, states are reluctant to negotiate and conclude international legal rules to address the proliferation of space debris. This article explores a root cause of this discrepancy. It argues that while law is typically seen as the regulator of uncertainty, international law’s regulation of outer space – under the interests of global capital investors – is directed by principles that support processes of commodification (i.e., the freedom of use), rather than principles that manage the risks associated with the proliferation of space debris as these would constrain (or are perceived to constrain) the expansion of capital (e.g., the precautionary principle). Therefore, international law – at the level of principles – is a co-producer of uncertainty. This conclusion is reached by exploring the proliferation of space debris through Ulrich Beck’s world risk society and by incorporating capital and economic power into his work. This inclusion reveals (i) that it is the accumulation of capital that generates risks and (ii) that capital exploits the socially constructed nature of risk to legitimise its expansion. International law – as both a regulator and co-producer of uncertainty – plays an essential role in legitimising these processes.

Astrocyte-mediated regulation of BLAWFS1 neurons alleviates risk-assessment deficits in DISC1-N mice.

Assessing and responding to threats is vital in everyday life. Unfortunately, many mental illnesses involve impaired risk assessment, affecting patients, families, and society. The brain processes behind these behaviors are not well understood. We developed a transgenic mouse model (disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 [DISC1]-N) with a disrupted avoidance response in risky settings. Our study utilized single-nucleus RNA sequencing and path-clamp coupling with real-time RT-PCR to uncover a previously undescribed group of glutamatergic neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) marked by Wolfram syndrome 1 (WFS1) expression, whose activity is modulated by adjacent astrocytes. These neurons in DISC1-N mice exhibited diminished firing ability and impaired communication with the astrocytes. Remarkably, optogenetic activation of these astrocytes reinstated neuronal excitability via D-serine acting on BLAWFS1 neurons' NMDA receptors, leading to improved risk-assessment behavior in the DISC1-N mice. Our findings point to BLA astrocytes as a promising target for treating risk-assessment dysfunctions in mental disorders.

The low‐carbon risk society: Dilemmas of risk–risk tradeoffs in energy innovations, transitions, and climate policy

AbstractAs countries and communities grapple with climate change, they seek to rapidly decarbonize their economies and cultures. A low‐carbon future will likely depend on more distributed solar energy, the electrification of mobility, and more efficient homes and buildings. But what emergent risks are evident within this low‐carbon society? This exploratory study first reviews the existing literature to identify 75 risk–risk tradeoffs by their category, medium of distribution, and type. It builds on these 75 examples to apply a typology of Risk Offsets, Risk Substitution, Risk Transfer, and Risk Transformation. Based on extensive document analysis, it applies that typology to three low‐carbon innovations: solar energy, battery electric vehicles, and building energy efficiency retrofits, identifying 36 distinct risk–risk tradeoffs in total. As such, the paper moves to discuss complexities and challenges in risk management. In doing so, it calls for a more refined risk assessment that better accounts for decision‐making considerations such as the magnitude or probability of risk, size of population exposed, certainty in risk estimation, severity of adverse outcome, distributional considerations, and the timing of risk impacts. It also summarizes emergent research gaps. Risk management in the context of climate action becomes a three‐dimensional chess game of weighing risk transmission, risk mediums, and risk categories.