| In a risk society, there exist important differences between the cognitive models of the public and experts in the essence, extent and estimating way of risk. The disagreements between the two cognitive models have negative influences on the administrative measures to regulate the risk. For example, the public and experts do not trust in each other, and sometimes the risk regulation measures promulgated by experts cannot be supported and cooperated, and are even opposed and obstructed by the public, thus these measures cannot be followed through effectively. Another example is that, the risk regulation measures cannot truly determine the priority of the risk regulation. The real problems that the administrative organs face due to the divergences between the two cognitive models include two aspects. Firstly, when the state is exposed to some affairs of low chance but high degree of hazard, the estimate of risk by the public will be influenced by their emotions, such as anxiety, panic and hatred, and they will use available heuristic way to assess the risk, thus will amplify the severity of the risk unduly. At this time, if the administrative organs carter to the requirement of the public and respond excessively, they will make a great mistake. Secondly, risk, especially rising from new technologies and activities, possesses the characteristic of uncertainty, so experts have more sufficient and scientific information than the public. However, if the administrative organs depend too much on the experts and do not consider the preference of the public, they will be opposed by the public. These negative outcomes should be avoided by the reformation of the administrative legal institutions, that is, to carry out a polycentric legislative model of risk information publicity, to develop and publish unified and complete standards of risk information and to assess and update these standards periodically and finally to form a “nationwide risk warning institution”, to execute risk communication effectively and to foster public reason, to adjust the severity of risk according to many qualitative factors, and to exert the functions of the Emergency Office of General Office of the State Council in risk education, risk communication and risk information publicity. |
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