Towards a Deliberative Framework for Systemic Risk Communication

Abstract

This paper presents a framework for the communication of systemic risk. The framework is termed ‘deliberative’ to highlight two qualities the article argues are necessary for robust systemic risk communication: its participatory nature, which draws in diverse actors across disciplines and communities, and its reciprocal nature, which ensures that communication is ongoing rather than one-directional. Systemic risks pose an existential threat to the functioning of vital societal systems, e.g. through climate disruption and environmental degradation, financial instability, grave inequality, and democratic backsliding. Tackling these risks requires effective communication that takes various challenges into account. These range from dynamic changes of circumstance, complexity and uncertainty, spatio-temporal dispersion, to public (dis)trust These challenges arise precisely because systemic risks, by definition, cut across multiple systems and sectors, drawing in actors from different disciplines, institutions, and communities who do not share a common framework for understanding or responding to them. Specifically, systemic risk communication needs to operate across multiple actors and different communities, due to the boundary-crossing nature of systemic risks. Accordingly, the communication framework presented here is explicitly deliberative, building on meaningful participation between researchers, the people affected, and decision-makers, while also ensuring robust and reflective information-sharing.