Overview

During the latter half of the twentieth century, federal funding in the United States for scientific research and development increased dramatically. Yet despite the infusion of public funds into research centers, the relationship between public policy and research and development remains poorly understood. How does the federal government attempt to harness scientific knowledge and resources for the nation's economic welfare and competitiveness in the global marketplace? Who makes decisions about controversial scientific experiments, such as genetic engineering and space exploration? Who is held accountable when things go wrong? In this lucidly-written introduction to the topic, Sylvia Kraemer draws upon her extensive experience in government to develop a useful and powerful framework for thinking about the American approach to shaping and managing scientific innovation. Kraemer suggests that the history of science, technology, and politics is best understood as a negotiation of ongoing tensions between open and closed systems. Open systems depend on universal access to information that is complete, verifiable, and appropriately used. Closed systems, in contrast, are composed of unique and often proprietary features, which are designed to control usage. From the Constitution's patent clause to current debates over intellectual property, stem cells, and internet regulation, Kraemer shows the promise-as well as the limits-of open systems in advancing scientific progress as well as the nation's economic vitality.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sylvia Kraemer
Publisher:   Rutgers University Press
Imprint:   Rutgers University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.482kg
ISBN:  

9780813538273

ISBN 10:   0813538270
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   20 June 2006
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Contents Preface Chapter 1. Introduction: Open Systems Chapter 2. Technology and the Ideology of Free Markets An Open System for the New Republic A National and Open Commercial System. Technological Innovation in ""One Great American System"" Technology: A Critical Role in Economic Productivity Chapter 3. The Ideologies of Science The Bush Report The Ideology of Science Creating the National Science Foundation: A Closed System at Bay A Partial Victory for The Bush Paradigm: The National Academy of Sciences Chapter 4. The Science and Technology Policy Toolkit General Observations The Toolkit Mission Agencies Intra-mural Laboratories Federally Funded Research and Development Centers National Infrastructure and Regulatory Agencies Targeted Programs. Federal Procurement Policy Priority and Profits: U.S. Patent Policy The Broadened Scope of Patentability Federally Funded Inventions International Harmonization of Patent Laws Chapter 5. Science, Technology and Political Authority Science and Engineering in Federal Courts The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA): Governing by Numbers Scientific and Technical Data under the Freedom of Information Act Reliable Information, Peer Review, and Federal Regulatory Policy Federal Advisory Committees: An Alternate Route to Power Chapter 6. Open Systems in a Digital World Cyberspace As An Open System The First and Fourth Amendments in Cyberspace Freedom of Speech The Fourth Amendment. Federal Regulation of Internet Highways Monopoly Power in the Software Industry Chapter 7. Open Systems in Outer Space Creatures of the Cold War: NASA and U.S. Space Policy A Costly Aberration: Man on the Moon Commercialization: Demobilization by Other Means U.S. Space Policy in the Dawn of the 21st Century Chapter 8. The Crisis in American Health Care Expert Authority Feeding the Leviathan Health Care Reform The Promise and Perils of Biomedicine A $100 Billion Pharmacopoeia and Too Little Flu Vaccine Commercializing Biomedical Research: Open Systems in Conflict Chapter 9. Fossil Fuels and Clean Air Nature as an Open System and the Foundations of U.S. Energy Policy Energy Supply and Demand: Policy and Paradoxes Environmental Policy and the True Costs of Fossil Fuels Chapter 10: Epilogue Appendix: Essay on Sources Notes Index"

Reviews

This is an original and important study that will have a significant impact on the way the scholarly community and the informed reading public view the reality of science and technology policy in this country. - Alex Roland, professor of history, Duke University

Author Information

Sylvia Kraemer earned her Ph.D. in history from Johns Hopkins University and later served in various policy capacities for NASA, including chief historian and represented the agency during the Clinton Administration's development of national space policy. She has also taught science and technology policy at George Mason University and Colby College. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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