Viewing the Risk Concept as a Boundary Object: Implications for Theory and Practice

The concept of risk is used across disciplinary boundaries by researchers as well as practitioners. In this paper, we aim to explore the implications of such a use for the development of the theory and practice of risk analysis, understood broadly as covering risk assessment, risk perception, risk communication, risk management, and policy on risk. As an analytical frame, we consider risk as a "boundary object" around which different communities of practice organize their interconnections. One key implication for theory is that the way risk is conceptualized needs to balance being adaptable to disciplinary needs, yet retaining a common identity across disciplines, and we find that there are perspectives that, at least conceptually, accommodate risk functioning as a boundary object. Practitioners should expect to find that different communities of practice assign somewhat different meanings to the concept of "risk." Such inconsistencies should be taken as an opportunity to explore and learn rather than an occasion for policing and eradicating deviant discourses. Based on our findings, we outline a research agenda for advancing the understanding of risk as a boundary object, including empirical studies of whether this is actually taking place.