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Posted Mon, 7 Dec 2009 11:38:26
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*** REMINDER ***
New Partnerships on the Horizon?
Governing Uncertainty, Accountability and Public Participation
International Workshop
9th February 2010,
Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Abstract deadline 15 Dec 2009
Co-organized by
* Groupe de Recherche sur l'Action Publique (GRAP), Université libre de Bruxelles
* King's Centre for Risk Management, King's College London
* NIHR King's Patient Safety and Service Quality Research Centre
Managing risk in international society has posed a new challenge not only to the state and international organisations, but also to experts, scientists and citizens. It has generated a demand for a new set of laws, regulations and instruments to tackle various risks such as natural disasters, economic and financial crises, and unintended consequences of reforms. Accordingly, new modes of interactions between the state, experts and citizens seem to be emerging across countries and in different high-risk sectors. This relatively new, complex web of policy making and implementation processes requires multi-dimensional, cross-country analyses, as it has created a number of guidelines, methodological frameworks, scientific equipments, experts and professionnal networks. However, little research has been done to illuminate the interactive aspects between institutions, choice of new instruments and the impact on political accountability and individual participation. For instance, in health care, risk management is now considered to be an integral part of performance management and essential not only to avoiding adverse incidents, but also to enhancing quality of care. The imperative of balancing economic efficiency, social concerns and quality control became a driving force for new policy initiatives and led also to more involvement of laypeople (i.e. patients in this context) in some areas of risk management. Similar developments can also be observed in other industries and sectors such as insurance companies, nuclear and energy, urban or environmental sectors.
Therefore, 'governing uncertainty' needs to be understood from a broader perspective than risk management which used to concern predominantly only the expertise and 'rational' use of tools and instruments. In contrast, 'governing uncertainty' encompasses identification of risks and vulnerabilities within organisations and institutions as well as fulfilling accountability by developing measures and embedding appropriate strategies. The latter function entails a certain action of developing the right script when errors, accidents and faults occur. Thus, the scope of 'governing uncertainty' goes much beyond technical issues. Acknowledging clear political responsibility is particularly pertinent to the study of public policy. To name a few, blame allocation, risk information transfer, normative input and discriminatory risk-based treatment should also be incorporated in the analyses of policies surrounding risk and uncertainty.
This workshop will explore the above-mentioned new modes of interactions between various actors (government, professional networks and citizens) by inviting interactional researchers with a strong fieldwork and international comparative perspective. How do risk managers 'manage' uncertainty in different kinds of organisations and institutions? What kind of policy instruments have been used in order to manage uncertainty in a specific sector? To what extent do they impact on everyday local practices? What is the role of ordinary citizens in governing uncertainty? Do we observe some international trend, rather than a fragmented picture of practices and policies varying from country to country or from sector to sector? More generally, how do various institutional settings, instruments, experts and professional networks seek to combine risk management with public participation? How do they work "in action"? What are the main competencies of risk managers and the sources of their legitimacy? What are the impacts of all these activities on the political dimension (e.g. accountability of elected officials)? Ultimately, the workshop raises questions as to practical implications and 'risks' for democracy, citizenship, rights and/or freedom in the new mode of 'partnerships' in governing uncertainty.
Scientific Team:
Dr Fabrizio CANTELLI, FNRS - Université libre de Bruxelles (coord.)
Prof. Jean-Louis GENARD, Université libre de Bruxelles
Dr Naonori KODATE, King's College London
Mr Kristian KRIEGER, King's College London
Deadline for Abstracts:
An abstract should include the name(s) of author(s), affiliations, contact details, the paper title, in no more than 200 words. Abstracts should be sent to Fabrizio Cantelli ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) before the 15th December 2009.
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