The Science of Risk Analysis

This book provides a comprehensive demonstration of risk analysis as a distinct science covering risk understanding, assessment, perception, communication, management, governance and policy. It presents and discusses the key pillars of this science, and provides guidance on how to conduct high-quality risk analysis. The Science of Risk Analysis seeks to strengthen risk analysis as a field and science by summarizing and extending current work on the topic. It presents the foundation for a distinct risk field and science based on recent research, and explains the difference between applied risk analysis (to provide risk knowledge and tackle risk problems in relation to for example medicine, engineering, business or climate change) and generic risk analysis (on concepts, theories, frameworks, approaches, principles, methods and models to understand, assess, characterise, communicate, manage and govern risk). The book clarifies and describes key risk science concepts, and builds on recent foundational work conducted by the Society for Risk Analysis in order to provide new perspectives on science and risk analysis. The topics covered are accompanied by cases and examples relating to current issues throughout. This book is essential reading for risk analysis professionals, scientists, students and practitioners, and will also be of interest to scientists and practitioners from other fields who apply risk analysis in their work.

Terje Aven is Professor of Risk Analysis and Risk Management at the University of Stavanger, Norway. He has served as the Chair of the European Safety and Reliability Association (ESRA) and as the President of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) worldwide. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Risk and Reliability, and Associate Editor for Risk Analysis.

1 Introduction. Challenges 2 Fundamentals about science, knowledge and research 3 The risk analysis science: Foundation 4 Fundamentals about the risk concept and how to describe risk 5 Risk assessment 6 Risk perception and risk communication 7 Risk management and governance 8 Solving practical risk analysis problems 9 Perspectives on the future of risk analysis