Energy issues and social sciences, theories and applications

Despite its centrality, the energy problem has always occupied a relatively marginai space in social research. Many scholars are actually concentrating their attention on communication about energy issues, risk and environmental struggles tied to building energy plants. In spite of the relevance of these issues, which are also the topics of some of this book chapters, our field of interest is much wider, concerning relations between energy and society. So, communica-tion, risk, trust, acceptability, public policies, governance, technology, work, sustainability, development, politics, organisations, are the key words of this book. These words show the indissoluble link between energy issues and social sciences. According to such a perspective, the objectives of the volume are on the one band to show the relevance of energy issues in explaining social change, and on the other to highlight how research in the field of social sciences can be useful, in applicative terms, both to support and to address public decisione.