Beck and Giddens on risk society and high modernity

Recollection: Three periods of discussion on the IS:

1. From late 1940’s onwards: Information economy as an economy of different nature
2. From 1960’s onwards: Analysis of post-industrial society (or service society)
3. From 1980’s onwards: Discussion about the evolution of modernity into "another modernity"

1. The concept of risk society

• Ulrich Beck: The Risk Society (1986 / 1992)
• The distribution of "bads" (risks) supersede the distribution of "goods"
• Risks escape the institutions of modern industrial society

Three-stage periodization:

1. Pre-industrial
2. Modern industrial
3. "Risk Society"

2. Modernity, nation state and information

- Anthony Giddens:

• the significance of heightened surveillance and the importance of the war and nation state in the development of the modern world.
• "Modern societies have been IS’s from the beginning"
• organization / observation (collection of information)
• the dual meaning of information gathering: domination and control vs. treating people equally
• with informational organizations and institutions the nation state aims to maintain its stability both internally and externally

3. Risk societies

Two phases in the shift into a risk society (Beck):

1. The industrial society produces threats or risks which become observed but they do not become issues of public debate, in politics and media
2. Risks are an issue of debate and the institutions of industrial society become recognized as producers of risks they cannot control

Three domains / reasons in the transformation of industrial society into risk society

1. natural and cultural resources are dissipating
2. risks exceed the safety measures of the society
3. collective meanings are suffering from exhaustion

- Risks are global: Chernobyl, Brazilian rain forests etc.
- Different types of risks: economic, political, social, cultural or environmental

The nature of risks is different in different periods:

1. In pre-industrial societies risks are external risks (not man-made)
2. In modern industrial societies risks and hazards are no longer externalized onto the gods or fate (the modern society aims at taking the risks under control)
3. In risk societies, risks become incalculable, unaccountable and unlimited

• "The age of uncertainty"

- Risks are produced by industry and sciences
- Risks produce many questions to which there are no clear answers (BSE etc.)
- What can be done?
- Beck: The modern societies can a) simply distruct themselves from the inside or b) give birth to another kind of modernity through different kind of politics

• the entering of new groups into policy-making ("sub-politics")

- new reflexivity to risks, global risk awarness