A great deal of attention has been devoted to risk research. Sociologists in general have limited themselves to varying recognitions of a society at risk and have traced out the paths to disaster. The detailed research has yet to be undertaken. In Risk, now available in paperback, Niklas Luhmann develops a theoretical program for such research. His premise is that the concept of risk projects essential aspects of our description of the future onto the present. Risk is conceived as the possibility of triggering unexpected, unlikely, and detrimental consequences by means of a decision attributable to a decision maker.

Michael M. Stahl is a 40-year veteran of public service in the legislative and executive branches in state and federal government in the United States. He led organizations ranging from 10 to 3,100 people, managing programs to provide grants and loans to schools for asbestos abatement, ensuring compliance with all environmental laws, and working with international partners to solve environmental problems in other countries and regions of the world. He taught for almost 20 years as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He was awarded both the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award and the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award by the U.S. government, and the Distinguished Career Service Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He has authored several articles on public administration, including, most recently, Sustaining the Public Service Mentality, and New Imperatives for Public Managers. He holds an MPA from the University of Missouri, a Leadership Coaching Certificate from Georgetown University, and is the CEO of Stahl Strategic, LLC, a coaching and consulting firm in Staunton, Virginia.