ABSTRACT

The chapter provides a short background to writing a book about standardization and risk governance. Standards have been an almost neglected research topic in the social sciences, especially standardization within risk-related topics. The differences between risks in the real world and concepts of risk are highlighted, emphasizing that the volume’s focus is on the standardization of concepts within risk governance. Furthermore, some driving forces for standardizing risk governance are presented. Special attention is paid to the invisible standardization of risk governance embedded in the rapid digitalization of all sectors in society. The risks of standardizing risk governance are briefly discussed. The organization of the book concludes the chapter.