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Flaws

Shark Bites and Emotional Public Policymaking

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Examines shark bite policy responses to learn more about politics
  • Develops a new framework to look at highly emotional policymaking
  • Argues that politicians are the true sharks in the “politics of shark attacks”

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Introduction

    • Christopher L. Pepin-Neff
    Pages 1-12
  3. The Rise of Shark “Attack” Discourse

    • Christopher L. Pepin-Neff
    Pages 13-38
  4. A Political Frenzy During Florida’s Summer of the Shark

    • Christopher L. Pepin-Neff
    Pages 63-89
  5. Bureaucratic Success and Cape Town’s Shark Spotters Program

    • Christopher L. Pepin-Neff
    Pages 91-118
  6. The Rogue Minister and Sydney’s Adoption of Aerial Patrols

    • Christopher L. Pepin-Neff
    Pages 119-147
  7. Reviewing a Framework for Emotions and Public Policy

    • Christopher L. Pepin-Neff
    Pages 149-161
  8. Considering Sharks from a Post-Jaws Perspective

    • Christopher L. Pepin-Neff
    Pages 163-188
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 189-192

About this book

This book examines the policymaking process following highly emotional events. It focuses on the politics of shark “attacks” by looking at policy responses to tragic shark bites in Florida, Australia, and South Africa. The book reviews these cases by identifying the flaws in the human-shark relationship, including the way sharks are portrayed as the enemy, the way shark bites are seen as intentional, and how policy responses appear to be based on public safety. Flaws identifies politicians as the true sharks of this story for their manipulation of tragic circumstances to protect their own interests. It argues that shark bites are ungovernable accidents of nature, and that we are “in the way, not on the menu.”




      

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Christopher L. Pepin-Neff

About the author

Christopher Pepin-Neff is Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the University of Sydney, Australia. His research looks at theories of the policy process by focusing on highly emotional issues such as LGBTQI politics and the "politics of shark attacks."

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access