Risk governance: An overview of drivers and success factors

This paper from the International Risk Governance Council proposes a broad review of what risk governance is about and the main deficits that often hinder effective governance of complex, uncertain or systemic risks. The paper will not recommend specific policy options, but recommend the creation of appropriate internal cultures for risk governance.

The publication asserts that the bias of decision-making toward the short-term, or toward the pursuit of private interests to the detriment of the public interest should be overcome. Understanding decision-making processes and how these affect vulnerability and resilience is necessary to avoid that hazards become disasters or that the consequences of risk are amplified.

This document is an input paper of the 2015 Global Risk Assessment on Disaster Risk Reduction.