Low dose radiation risk perception and communication: Fernald (project report) | seri-us.org

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Low dose radiation risk perception and communication: Fernald (project report)

Tuler, S. 2002. Radiation risk perception and communication: A case study of the Fernald Environmental Management Project. SERI Report 02-001. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute.

Publication Abstract

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation for the purpose of improving theoretical knowledge about public participation in environmental and risk decision-making. Better understandings of what different people want and expect from public participation processes will be beneficial to both activists and regulatory agencies. One of the key assumptions of this research has been that we must tap the knowledge of people who actually take part in public participation processes as well as tapping the theoretical knowledge. There was no intention that this research serve either “side” of a policy conflict more than the other. Instead, we believe that everyone wins when the participatory process is designed to meet the needs of all parties and is made flexible to deal with emergent changes in context and purpose. Revealing different visions for what is a good participation process enables those involved to talk about these differences and to attempt to find common ground and compromise on what kind of process to conduct. Our goal has not been to minimize or eliminate conflict per se. Instead, we seek, broadly, to improve democracy. We feel this will happen by constructing better processes where parties with different needs and concerns and objectives can come together and engage in reasoned discussion and careful analysis.

Associated Project:

Addressing public health risks from operating and closed US nuclear weapons facilities

Publication File

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