Trust, Mistrust, Distrust, and Trust-building in the Nuclear Sector: Historical and Comparative Experience from Europe

As nuclear energy experiences renewed global interest amid climate concerns and energy security challenges, understanding the social foundations of nuclear governance becomes increasingly critical for policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society organisations.This book explores the complex dynamics of trust, mistrust, and distrust in European nuclear energy and radioactive waste management through rigorous transnational, comparative, and historical analysis. Drawing on empirical cases from eight European countries-Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK-the contributors apply a sophisticated conceptual framework that distinguishes between trust, mistrust, and distrust across social, institutional, and ideological dimensions.The collection reveals how excessive trust can be as problematic as outright distrust, whilst demonstrating the democratic virtues of prudent scepticism and mistrustful civic vigilance in high-risk technological governance.It addres