Shaping Science and Technology Policy: The Next Generation of Research

by David H. Guston (Editor), Daniel Sarewitz (Editor)

With scientific progress occurring at a breathtaking pace, science and technology policy has never been more important than it is today. Yet there is a very real lack of public discourse about policy-making, and government involvement in science remains shrouded in both mystery and misunderstanding.  Who is making choices about technology policy, and who stands to win or lose from these choices?  What criteria are being used to make decisions and why?  Does government involvement help or hinder scientific research?  

Shaping Science and Technology Policy brings together an exciting and diverse group of emerging scholars, both practitioners and academic experts, to investigate current issues in science and technology policy.  Essays explore such topics as globalization, the shifting boundary between public and private, informed consent in human participation in scientific research, intellectual property and university science, and the distribution of the costs and benefits of research. 

Charlotte Augst, Grant Black, Mark Brown, Kevin Elliott, Patrick Feng, Pamela M. Franklin, Carolyn Gideon, Tené N. Hamilton, Brian A. Jackson, Shobita Parthasarathy, Jason W. Patton, A. Abigail Payne, Bhaven Sampat, Christian Sandvig, Sheryl Winston Smith, Michael Whong-Barr

382 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Judd Street · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, heterogeneous (in terms of topic but not necessarily analysis/ideology) collection of thinking on issues in science & technology.

There were a few standout chapters:
- Franklin's chapter on EPA's drinking water standards and regulatory science is a very useful overview of some of the issues involved in determining which science should count, and how, in regulatory processes. Probably the best chapter of the volume.
- The section on 'shaping technology' - particularly Patton's chapter on transportation infrastructures - are likely the most interesting assembly of chapters together in the book. These hit on really interesting issues related to standards and deployment and are useful cases.
- Unsurprisingly, Mark Brown (ethics + research agendas) and Kevin Eliott's (hormesis) chapters are also solidly done. Both cover material that they engage with in more detailed venues elsewhere (e.g., Elliot has a whole book on hormesis now out), but it provides a more succinct summary of the arguments for possible use as a case study.

Your milage on this review might vary, as if you're really into patent counts or innovation geographies, you might find different cases appealing. But, I do think the chapters above were the most adept at pulling broader lessons/analysis out of their cases.

Overall a decent book, but absolutely in the three-star "only read if you're a completionist on science and tech policy," with perhaps an exception of Franklin and Patton's chapters.

[Read a Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

The collective work presents a very ethics and social science-friendly approach towards understanding technology policy and governance. Easy to read, the chapters are well organized and the authors generally mesh well. Helpful but not earth-shattering for those researching technology policy and risk management.