Man-made Catastrophes and Risk Information Concealment ― Case Studies of Major Disasters and Human Fallibility

This book discusses the risks of information concealment in the context of major natural or industrial disasters - offering detailed descriptions and analyses of some 25 historical cases (with another 20 cases covered in less depth) and applying these insights to selected on-going cases where such information concealment is suspected. Some successful examples of preventive anti-concealment practice are also presented.
 
In the book, the term ‘concealment’ is used to represent the two distinct behaviors uncovered in the investigations: (i) facts and information about an organization and its functioning being hidden from those that need them - here the concealment can be due to various factors, such as complexity and miscommunication, to name but two – and (ii) the conscious and deliberate action of keeping important information secret or misrepresenting it. This second meaning makes up a surprisingly important part of the evidence presented.
 
Accordingly, emphasis has been put on this second aspect and the approach is more pragmatic than academic, remaining focused on evidence-based practical and useful factors. As such this work is intended as a fact-based reference work for future academic and scholarly investigations on the roots of the problem, in particular regarding any psychological or sociological modeling of human fallibility. More immediately it provides some valuable lessons for decision- makers, risk specialists and responsible citizens alike.

Didier Sornette is Professor on the Chair of Entrepreneurial Risks at the ETH Zurich, Director of the Financial Crisis Observatory, Co-founder of the ETH Risk Center and member of the Swiss Finance Institute. He has received many prizes and honors, among them the 2000 Research McDonnell award and the Risques-Les Echos prize 2002. He is a Fellow of the World Innovation Foundation (2004) and, since 2013, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Prof. Sornette has edited and authored a number books, many of them published by Springer and is a member of the Editorial and Advisory Board of the Springer Complexity publishing program.