Uncertainty and Public Action. Definition of Risks, Production of Knowledge and Framing of Controversies

The article aims at analyzing the framing process of uncertainty and legitimate expertise during the shale gas controversy in France and Quebec (Canada). It studies the controversy that existed between 2010 and 2015 to understand what the main mechanisms implemented to reduce uncertainty were, what type of uncertainty was targeted, by what kind of policy tools, by what sort of actors and with what impact for the political trajectory of the controversy. The analysis develops an innovative theoretical framework calling upon policy analysis, the sociology of expertise and the sociology of public participation. The comparison of public action in France and Quebec shows contrasting attitudes in the face of a similar context of uncertainty. Whereas in France, uncertainty was confined to hydraulic fracturing, in Quebec, it spread to multiple scientific disciplines. The article defends the idea that uncertainty is socially produced, politically framed and scientifically informed.