ABSTRACT
In the unfolding technological advances and economic growth of advanced industrial societies, few problems have proven more contentious or perplexing than the siting of hazardous facilities. The extent to which these problems have been shared across diverse societies differing in industrial structures, political cultures and social institutions is quite remarkable. As Chapters 2 and 14 make clear, the issues that underlie public concerns and opposition are sufficiently deeply seated to create policy impasses in varying social and political settings. This fact in itself should signal that these challenges are likely to be durable over time and unlikely to be readily resolved without major rethinking and significant redirections in responsible institutions and siting processes.
