This book examines how power and trust shape societal risk, institutional governance and agency freedom. Drawing on sociological theory and risk society scholarship, it considers how political, financial and legal structures influence people’s opportunities, security and capacity to pursue public and private life choices.

Across eight chapters, Charlotte Fabiansson connects debates on social class, inequality, gender, ethnic belonging and social cohesion with contemporary questions of human rights, migration, climate change, environmental risk and national security. The analysis moves between macro-level institutions and micro-level experience, examining how governments, power elites and citizens negotiate the boundaries between collective safety and individual freedom. It also considers how mass media, social media and artificial intelligence affect trust, risk communication and the circulation of misinformation.

The book draws on international research and statistics alongside an Australian study of university students’ perceptions of terrorism and safety in public spaces. Rather than offering simple solutions to complex social problems, it develops a critical framework for examining how power, trust, risk and freedom interact in contemporary society. It will be relevant to students and researchers in political sociology, risk studies, political science and related disciplines.

Charlotte Fabiansson is Associate Professor and Adjunct Fellow at the College of Arts, Business, Law, Education and IT at Victoria University, Australia. She is the author of The Experience and Fear of Violence in the Public Realm. Hegemonic Ideology and Individual Behaviour (2023), Pathways to Excessive Gambling: A Societal Perspective on Youth and Adult Gambling Pursuits (2010) and co-author of Food & the Risk Society: The Power of Risk Perception (2016).