Robert Meyer and Howard Kunreuther, "The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters" (Wharton Digital Press, 2017))

Summary

In The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters (Wharton Digital Press, 2017), Robert Meyer and Howard Kunreuther summarize six major cognitive biases that explain why humans fail to adequately prepare for potential disasters. Leveraging examples of high-impact events, The Ostrich Paradox summarizes how preparedness efforts are affected by issues with human memory, risk probability comprehension, and information overload. Finally, the authors provide a tool for assessing and mitigating these biases through a behavioral risk audit. The book is a slim volume that may lend itself for use in professional settings as a training tool.

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Beth Windisch

Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner.

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