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Organizing and managing radioactive waste disposal as an experiment
Author(s) -
Cook Brian J.,
Emel Jacque L.,
Kasperson Roger E.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of policy analysis and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.898
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1520-6688
pISSN - 0276-8739
DOI - 10.2307/3325280
Subject(s) - radioactive waste , waste management , business , waste disposal , environmental science , environmental planning , engineering
Abstract This paper examines organization and management issues engendered by the national program for permanent disposal of commercial radioactive wastes. Our description of current organizational and managerial responses to the waste disposal problem serves as a springboard for consideration of the technical, political, and organizational constraints that impinge upon the waste‐management effort. Taking these constraints into account, we apply ideas that have emerged from previous radioactive waste‐management studies and research on organizations, concluding that a change of course is needed. As an alternative, we propose an experimental approach predicated on the waste‐management organization's acknowledging uncertainty and constructing responses that seek to reduce uncertainty systematically and without distortion.