2 options
The ostrich paradox : why we underprepare for disasters / Robert Meyer and Howard Kunreuther.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Meyer, Robert J. (Robert John), author.
- Kunreuther, Howard, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Crisis management--Psychological aspects.
- Crisis management.
- Business planning--Psychological aspects.
- Business planning.
- Strategic planning--Psychological aspects.
- Strategic planning.
- Psychological aspects.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (126 pages.)
- Place of Publication:
- Philadelphia : Wharton Digital Press, [2017]
- System Details:
- text file
- Summary:
- We fail to evacuate when advised. We rebuild in flood zones. We don't wear helmets. We fail to purchase insurance. We would rather a void the risk of "crying wolf" than sound an alarm. Our ability to foresee and protect against natural catastrophes has never been greater; yet, we consistently fail to heed the warnings and protect ourselves and oar communities, with devastating consequences. What explains this contradiction? In The Ostrich Paradox, Wharton professors Robert Meyer and Howard Kunreuther draw on years of teaching and research to explain why disaster preparedness efforts consistently fall short. Filled with heartbreaking stories of loss and resilience, the book addresses: How people make decisions when confronted with high-consequence, low-probability events-and how these decisions can go awry, The 6 biases that lead individuals, communities, and institutions to make grave errors that cost lives, The Behavioral Risk Audit, a systematic approach for improving preparedness by recognizing these biases and designing strategies that anticipate them, Why, if we are to be better prepared for disasters, we need to learn to be more like ostriches, not less Fast-reading and critically important, The Ostrich Paradox is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand why we consistently underprepare for disasters, as well as private and public leaders, planners, and policy-makers who want to build more prepared communities. Book jacket.
- Contents:
- Part I Why We Underprepare for Disasters
- Chapter 1 A Tale of Two Cognitive Systems 7
- Chapter 2 The Myopia Bias 13
- Chapter 3 The Amnesia Bias 21
- Chapter 4 The Optimism Bias 31
- Chapter 5 The Inertia Bias 43
- Chapter 6 The Simplification Bias 53
- Chapter 7 The Herding Bias 59
- Part II What We Can Do to Improve Preparedness
- Chapter 8 Overcoming the Biases: The Behavioral Risk Audit 71
- Chapter 9 The Behavioral Risk Audit in Action: The Case of Flood Risk 77
- Chapter 10 Protection in the Truly Long Run 89.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI Available via World Wide Web.
- Description based on print version record.
- Local Notes:
- Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Lawrence A. Medansky Memorial Book Fund.
- ISBN:
- 9781613630792
- 1613630794
- Publisher Number:
- 99974232936
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license.
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.