In recent years there has been growing concern about the effectiveness and legitimacy of public decision making about risk, sparked by a series of high profile issues that have made headline news. These ten essays analyse the public understanding of risk and the policy making process. BSE, vaccination, genetically modified crops and the regulation of chemicals are looked at as case studies. These essays will be of interest to general political scientists, sociologists and specialists in public policy, as well as those specifically working in the field of risk analysis.