Purpose – To draw attention to a philosophical vacuum underlying the current emphasis on risk assessment. Design/methodology/approach – Definitions of chance, probability and risk are drawn from the literature and the development of risk assessment is surveyed historically. A critique of the...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advise the reader of non‐governmental efforts to help form national/international science policies, using as a highlight the endeavor of the Citizen Science Foundation. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is journalistic: science policy is...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show, with concrete cases, how to forgo or substantially moderate strategy that is structured within action plans: moves to alleviate coping with obstacles encountered in programme execution. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a series...

Purpose – The threat environment countries face is a dynamic one, with many emerging technologies. This paper presents unique challenges as countries evaluate which technologies to pursue in support of national security. Rather than addressing a broad range of strategic options, this paper...

Purpose – The Foresight Future Flooding (FFF) project researched flood risk in the UK to the year 2100 for central government, using scenarios and a national risk assessment model backed by qualitative analysis from panels of some 45 senior scientists. The purpose of this paper is to assess...