Risk Avoidance, Blame Avoidance: Understanding of the Barriers to Public Participation in Risk Management

Public participation is often promoted as a solution for developing shared strategies to prevent risks associated with industrial installations and infrastructure. However, the implementation of this idea faces numerous obstacles, both before a crisis or accident occurs, and even more so when a crisis has already emerged. These limitations can be understood as processes of avoidance. This conclusion can be drawn from studies that examine both the daily practices of populations and the practices of bureaucracies responsible for risk management. By drawing on findings from studies of industrial incidents and analyzing risk situations related to recreational activities near hydroelectric dams, we will highlight the relevance of Weaver's concept of "blame avoidance" in analyzing how public practices are considered in risk management policies. Indeed, the concept of avoidance can be applied to explain the behavior of affected populations in response to information, proposals for preventive actions, and, more broadly, the offer of participation. The mechanisms of this avoidance are diverse, including what J. Scott refers to as "everyday forms of resistance," which allow populations to distance themselves from authorities' recommendations that interfere with their way of life. Similarly, for institutions, blame avoidance helps explain the often simplistic representations of society used to design risk prevention policies. To mitigate the risk of legal or political liability, public policy actors often prefer to address an undifferentiated audience and establish general norms, without considering their alignment with actual social practices. The challenge for social sciences focused on risk and participation is to move beyond this deadlock.