Conflicting rationalities of risk: disputing risk in social policy – reflecting on 35 years of researching risk

Abstract

This article considers how the concept of risk has been variously defined and deployed within research and UK social policy since the 1980s. The article does not present an in-depth historical narrative, but rather presents key trends over this period. The article begins with a short review of policy and risk rationalities from the 1980s onwards with a specific focus on the research 'discovery' of the 'rationality mistake' by the early 1990s. A short case study from the author's own research is then presented to illustrate the 'rationality mistake' in a particular arena of UK government policy on the management of sexual offenders. The paper concludes by briefly considering actual and potential developments in risk research and relevant recent theorising, and finally the likelihood of social policy understanding the risk subject more fully.

Rethinking Risk and Resilience in Childhood and Child Maltreatment

“…Recent discussions in social work have reminded us how fraught these have become in the UK body politic, the media and the public, with difficult consequences for social work as a profession (Featherstone et al, 2014;Warner, 2015). What is constituted as knowledge becomes reflexively subject to challenge and review from diverse perspectives, including those of service users; this is reflected in broader discussions around "risk" (Daniel, 2010;Kemshall, 2014;Zinn, 2008).…”

“…Definitional issues have continued to cause difficulties in these studies, with narrow views of "risk" predominating (Daniel, 2010). Risk has several layers of meaning and nuanced aspects that need to be taken into account (Clarke, 2010;Kemshall, 2014). It may be understood as a constructed and contested concept with diverse aspects, including a dual nature embracing both negative and positive features for groups deemed to be "vulnerable" in some way, including children (Titterton and Hunter, 2011).…”

Risk and Social Theory: the legitimacy of risks and risk as a tool of legitimation

“…Indeed, the underlying consideration for the issue, alongside quality informed by peer review, was to denote the diverse range of current approaches to theorising risk and uncertainty. But from theories of policy interventions aimed at risk (Kemshall, 2014), to intersectionality and the moral functions of risk (Montelius & Giritli Nygren, 2014), to the (re)mediation of risk as (re)configurations of matter, energy and information (van Loon, 2014), to the relationship between social risk insurance policies, social cohesion and trust (Hadis, 2014) -each of these articles draws upon and extends understandings of the linkages between risk and legitimacy, legitimacy and risk. Our discussion now moves to consider these articles in turn.…”

Hollywood heroes in high tech risk societies: modern fairy tales and emerging technologies

“…From a governmental perspective, risk has been approached with the possibility of being prevented by reason, based on scientific knowledge. Though in the aftermath of Beck's classical book, and in opposition to official policies, various analyses have shown the limitation of a pure rationalist approach to risk, in particular regarding risk behavior in everyday life [for instance : Kemshall, 2014]. …”