Wo rking Pa pe r Se rie s Working Paper #14 From Experts’ Beliefs to Safety Standards: Explaining Preferred Radiation Protection Standards in Polarized Technical Communities Richard P. Barke School of Public Policy Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 30332-0345 Carol L. Silva Bush School of Government and Public Service Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 Hank C. Jenkins-Smith Bush School of Government and Public Service Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 June 2006 We thank Kerry Herron, who played an essential role in the data collection for this research and who provided valuable intellectual insights. Paul Sabatier provided important suggestions. Data collection for this project was made possible by funding from Sandia National Laboratories, and the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Department of Energy provided essential assistance.