Explaining Choices among Technological Risks

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Abstract
I address the issue of the process through which some risks, rather than others, are defined as acceptable. The predominant view, based on psychological research, is summarized and then criticized for taking insufficient account of the structural context within which decisions are made concerning risks. I then use evidence from the history of nuclear power, the unsafe Ford Pintos, and an instance of toxic chemical contamination to develop a more sociological perspective on acceptable risk. The analysis is grounded in organizational theory and centers on decision making processes regarding technological risks.

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