(Download) "Science Policy under Thatcher" by Jon Agar # eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Science Policy under Thatcher
- Author : Jon Agar
- Release Date : January 03, 2019
- Genre: History,Books,Science & Nature,Politics & Current Events,Public Administration,Europe,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 1896 KB
Description
Margaret Thatcher was prime minister
from 1979 to 1990, during which time her Conservative administration
transformed the political landscape of Britain. Science Policy under Thatcher is the first book to examine
systematically the interplay of science and government under her leadership.
Thatcher was a working scientist
before she became a professional politician, and she maintained a close watch
on science matters as prime minister. Scientific knowledge and advice were
important to many urgent issues of the 1980s, from late Cold War questions of
defence to emerging environmental problems such as acid rain and climate
change. Drawing on newly released primary sources, Jon Agar explores how Thatcher
worked with and occasionally against the structures of scientific advice, as
the scientific aspects of such issues were balanced or conflicted with other
demands and values. To what extent, for example, was the freedom of the
individual scientist to choose research projects balanced against the desire
to secure more commercial applications? What was Thatcher’s stance towards
European scientific collaboration and commitments? How did cuts in public
expenditure affect the publicly funded research and teaching of universities?
In weaving together numerous topics,
including AIDS and bioethics, the radioactivity industry and strategic defence,
Agar adds to the picture we have of Thatcher and her radically Conservative
agenda, and argues that the science policy devised under her leadership, not
least in relation to industrial strategy, had a prolonged influence on the
culture of British science.
Praise for Science Policy under Thatcher
‘… Will be of great interest… if only because it presents a summary of the most valuable experience of the post-imperial transformation and adaptation of the scientific and technological complex in response to the progressive erosion and compression of its economic and demographic base.’ [translated from Russian]
Управление наукой: теория и практика [Science management: theory and practice]
'Agar's most important contribution in his identification of who was and who was not influential in shaping science policy."
Richard Joyner , THE
'Very well documented and persuasive …The earlier chapters single out specific issues or episodes, such as civil nuclear power, the environment, and the public debates over AIDS and IVF …The detail is deeply fascinating for anybody interested in the mechanics of government and policy-making. I really enjoyed reading it.’
The Enlightened Economist