ABSTRACT
The six original research articles appearing in this special issue were initially presented at the first mid-term conference of Research Network 22 – Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty – of the European Sociological Association, which took place at the Risk and Crisis Research Centre at Mid Sweden University, Östersund, in March 2011. A large number of papers from the conference were put forward for this special issue, with these six finally chosen following various selection rounds and processes of peer review. A brief glance at the contents page of the special issue will immediately alert the reader to a rather heterogeneous subject matter, in terms of ‘levels’ of policy-making being considered, the design and methods of research employed, not to mention the different empirical contexts explored and the diverse theoretical lenses invoked.
