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Disowning Fukushima: Managing the credibility of nuclear reliability assessment in the wake of disaster

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  • John Downer

Abstract

This paper reflects on the credibility of nuclear risk assessment in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns. In democratic states, policymaking around nuclear energy has long been premised on an understanding that experts can objectively and accurately calculate the probability of catastrophic accidents. Yet the Fukushima disaster lends credence to the substantial body of social science research that suggests such calculations are fundamentally unworkable. Nevertheless, the credibility of these assessments appears to have survived the disaster, just as it has resisted the evidence of previous nuclear accidents. This paper looks at why. It argues that public narratives of the Fukushima disaster invariably frame it in ways that allow risk‐assessment experts to “disown” it. It concludes that although these narratives are both rhetorically compelling and highly consequential to the governance of nuclear power, they are not entirely credible.

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  • John Downer, 2014. "Disowning Fukushima: Managing the credibility of nuclear reliability assessment in the wake of disaster," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(3), pages 287-309, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:reggov:v:8:y:2014:i:3:p:287-309
    DOI: 10.1111/rego.12029
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Scott D. Sagan, 2004. "The Problem of Redundancy Problem: Why More Nuclear Security Forces May Produce Less Nuclear Security," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(4), pages 935-946, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Meghna Mukherjee & Konrad Posch & Santiago J. Molina & Ken Taymor & Ann Keller, 2023. "Comparing regulatory processes in genome editing and autonomous vehicles: How institutional environments shape sociotechnical imaginaries," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 40(3), pages 433-457, May.
    2. Sidney W.A. DEKKER & Michael TOOMA, 2022. "A capacity index to replace flawed incident‐based metrics for worker safety," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 161(3), pages 375-393, September.

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