Patterson, Alan

Alan Patterson studied at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, completing a Masters degree on European Union public policy and a PhD on the UK Government’s handling of risk regulation.

Precautionary Principle in International Relations: Constructing Foreign and Defense Policy in an Age of Uncertainty

2012 0-7734-2940-9
Written in response to the Bush Administration’s aggressive rhetoric previous to and during the Iraq War, this book addresses the key issues relating to Precautionary Principles on defense policies regarding pre-emptive war. Policymakers in the West seem prone to use these tactics when they feel there is certainly an outside threat to national security, and even when the threat is miniscule, after 9/11 American leaders in particular seem to err on the side of caution. Knowing the difference between a certain threat, a risky pre-emptive attack, and uncertainty could have informed public debate in significant ways. This theory is necessary now more than ever because our world system faces new and unknown threats that must be mediated by an international order.

Risk Regulations and Scientific Expertise in the United Kingdom: The Precautionary Principle in Public Policy

2008 0-7734-4804-7
This book examines how governments deal with the problem of how science can achieve the objective of developing wealth-creating technologies, and at the same time solve the problems for people and the environment that such technologies cause, by evaluating the role of science in policymaking in Britain.