Risk Governance in Practice: a Case Study of the Flemish Environmental Health Risk Governance Arrangement

Purpose. The concept of risk governance is successfully put upon the scientific and political agenda. However, this debate remains on a rather conceptual level, while empirical studies on „how to actually do it‟ are still rare. Therefore, this paper aims to contribute to a further elaboration of the concept, taking the newly emerging discourses on complexity and their impact on the institutional dynamics of the Flemish environmental health risk governance arrangement as a starting point. Methodology. A thorough discourse analysis is undertaken using document analysis and in-depth interviews. In order to evaluate the performance of the risk governance arrangement, an evaluation framework is developed based on literature review. Findings. The Flemish environmental health risk governance arrangement succeeds in increasing the exchange information: 1) between the local, Flemish, federal and European governmental level; 2) between scientists and policymakers; 3) between environmental and public health civil servants; 4) between the general public and the experts or policymakers. Nevertheless, the analysis also provides insights into some shortcomings and recommendations to ameliorate this arrangement. The contents‟ recommendations regard: 1) a formalized procedure for appropriate uncertainty management, 2) the integration of environmental health objectives in all relevant policy domains, and 3) further research and a socio-political debate about environmental health indicators. At the organizational level, a point of interest relates to the strategies facilitating co-production of knowledge and multiactor governance. Originality/value of paper. The paper contributes to the empirical lack of risk governance studies by analyzing in full detail the Flemish environmental health risk governance arrangement.