TOPIC: SCIENCE POLICY IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
PAST & PRESENT  

The relationship between science/technology and government has evolved through time, with both political and scientific events having an impact on federal support for research.

Questions to consider 

• How has federal support of science evolved since WWII?
• What concepts in the Vannevar Bush report are valid today?
• Why fund science with federal dollars?
• How has the paradigm of research evolved since WWII?
• How do policies for science shape the role of science in policy? 

Resources

• Neal, H.A., T. Smith, J. McCormick, 2008: Beyond Sputnik: U.S. Science Policy in the Twenty-First Century, University of Michigan Press. (Chapter 2)
• Science, the Endless Frontier (V. Bush)
• Smith, Bruce C.R., 1990: American Science Policy Since World War II, Brookings Institution Press.
• Science the Endless Frontier 1945-1995, Learning from the Past, Designing for the Future , Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University
• Stokes, Donald E., 1997: Pasteur’s Quadrant: Basic science and technological innovation, Brookings Institution Press.
• Dupree, A. Hunter, 1986: Science in the Federal Government: A History of Policies and Activities, The John Hopkins University Press.
• House Science Committee, 1998: Unlocking Our Future: Toward a New National Science Policy,  A Report to Congress by the House Committee on Science, available online at www.house.gov/science/science_policy_study.htm
• Pielke Jr., R.A., 2007: The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics, Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 6)

NOTE: While we are developing a more comprehensive curriculum, we welcome any comments or suggestions you may have, including references and topics.

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