|
||||||||
| Risk perception, communication and management: Lessons for policy makers | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| Synopsis | ||||||||
|
||||||||
For a full report of the day's events, as well as copies of the presentations and photos, please refer to the bottom of this page. Risk communication has its roots in risk perception which is related to human value judgments. According to Professor Ragnar Löfstedt, a series of variables influence how the public perceive risk. By uncovering these variables it should be possible to gauge how the public perceives a particular risk and form an appropriate communications strategy.To illustrate an example of regulatory failure in risk communication, Löfstedt examined the Swedish acrylamide in food scare in 2002. Research found that acrylamide – a material that had shown to be a carcinogen in rats – could originate in cooked, especially fried food. This data was published in April 2002 and caused a media frenzy, resulting in high levels of public awareness and concern over the issue. A number of communication issues amplified the media and public reaction, said Löfstedt. These included information vacuums, the involvement of too many organizations with communication roles not rigourously defined, communicating uncertainty, and the use of messages that amplified the perception of risk. Finally, Löfstedt emphasized the need for researchers, regulators and communicators to operate as a team in managing emerging food issues. In general, he concluded, communicating risk is never easy and each issue requires an individual approach – there is no universally applicable communication solution. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
| Speaker: Prof. Ragnar Löfstedt, Director, King's College London, Centre for Risk Management | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| Professor
Ragnar Löfstedt is currently a Professor of Risk Management and
Director of King's Centre for Risk Management, at the International
of Policy International Policy Institute, School of Social Science
and Public Policy. He is also a board member of the organizing and
the executive committees for the Society for Risk Analysis-Europe.
Prof. Löfstedt is the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Risk Research and the author/editor of eight books and over 30 peer-reviewed articles, as well as editor of the Earthscan publications' Risk, Society and Policy book series. In December 2000 Prof. Lofstedt was awarded the Chauncey Starr Award for exceptional contributions to the field of risk analysis for someone under the age of 40 by the Society for Risk Analysis. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
| Hosting MEP: Mrs. Ria G.H.C. Oomen-Ruijten | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Mrs Oomen-Ruijten is member of the Committee on the Environment,
Public Health and Consumer Policy, as well as Vice-Chairman of the
Delegation for relations with South Africa. She has received a higher
vocational diploma in PR information/communications. She was National
chairman for the Youth CDA Federation and member of CDA federation
executive (1976), and a member of the EPP Council and Bureau (1989-1999).
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
| Co-sponsor: The European Policy Centre | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| The
European Policy Centre is a leading Brussels-based 'think tank' whose
mission is to contribute to the construction of a Europe equipped
to face the challenges of the 21st century by advancing the process
of European integration. To achieve this, The EPC encourages a structured debate among all significant interest groups, and channels the results to policy-makers. The Better Regulation Programme integrates the work of the Centre on “better regulation” and other "risk-related" activities. It includes the Risk Forum; major projects and workshops, seminars and conferences. Website : http://www.theepc.be |
||||||||
|
||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| Documents to download | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|
 |
||
| Speaker: | ||
| Speaker name here | ||
 |
||
Hosting MEP: |
||
| Mrs. Ria G.H.C. Oomen-Ruijten |
||
|
||
| Co-sponsor: | ||
| The European Policy Centre | ||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
