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Olivier Borraz
CNRS Research director
Olivier Borraz is a sociologist at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and affiliated with the Center for the Sociology of Organizations (CSO) at Sciences Po. He has been conducting research in the field of risks and crises for over 20 years.
He first focused on the governance of environmental health risks, starting with controversies and mobilizations, followed by the production of knowledge and the creation of independent expert agencies, moving on to public decision-making processes, and finally concluding with the actions of non-state actors.
His work then shifted to the governance through risk, that is, the introduction and use of risk instruments in various areas of public policy as methods for ranking and prioritizing issues. A comparative European study with British, German, and Dutch colleagues allowed him to highlight the diversity of risk interpretations, which are always intertwined with the legal frameworks, institutional arrangements, and professional stakes within which they are embedded.
More recently, his research has focused on how the state prepares to manage crises since the early 2000s. Case studies in the fields of nuclear production (AGORAS project), volcanic warnings (V-Care project), and COVID-19 (CrisOrg project) have allowed him to better understand the methods of preparation, particularly the role of organizations, planning, and exercises in the ability to anticipate critical situations.
Olivier Borraz teaches at Sciences Po and the INSP.
