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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 nuclear 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.

Thatcher --- science policy --- technology --- Conservative administration

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This publication contains the recommendations of the German Data Forum (RatSWD) for expanding the research infrastructure for the social, economic and behavioral sciences. They were previously published as part of the comprehensive double-volume final report „Building on Progress – Expanding the Research Infrastructure for the Social, Economic, and Behavioral Sciences“. The recommendations are based on the 68 advisory reports published in the aforementioned final report. They reflect the current status of consideration regarding design and development of an internationally viable and innovative research infrastructure for the social, economic and behavioral sciences in Germany. The information presented in this short volume is aimed at policy makers, researchers, as well as research sponsors.

Science policy --- research infrastructure --- empirical research --- Wissenschaftspolitik --- Forschungsinfrastruktur --- empirische Forschung

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The public is generally enthusiastic about the latest science and technology, but sometimes research threatens the physical safety or ethical norms of society. When this happens, scientists and engineers can find themselves unprepared in the midst of an intense science policy debate. In the absence of convincing evidence, technological optimists and skeptics struggle to build consensus. In these situations, it is best to sidestep the instigating controversy by using a broad risk-benefit assessment as a risk exploration tool to help scientists and engineers accomplish their goals while avoiding physical or moral dangers. Dangerous Science explores the intersection of science policy and risk analysis to determine ways to minimize negative impacts of science and technology on society.

pandemics --- autonomous weapons --- synthetic biology --- genome editing --- risk assessment --- science policy

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Globalization and telecoupling are enhancing the complexity of the coupled socio-ecological system constituted by the interaction between the global ecosphere and the anthroposphere. As a result, the demand for tools to identify transformative innovations, assess future risks, and support precautionary decisions for sustainability is growing by the day in business and politics. Scenarios are a means of simplification, reducing the real-world complexity to a limited number of essential factors to analyze their interactions and support policy formulation, with indicators as communication and monitoring tools. In particular, in a time of fake news and alternative truths a critical reflection amongst producers and users of scenarios and indicators is overdue; the capability for critical self-reflection is what distinguishes science from pseudo-science, and is a condition of trust. The authors of this book test established measurement and modeling approaches against new challenges, assess the weaknesses of prevailing innovation theories and the political-ideological embedment of archetypical scenarios, highlight deficits in taking the physical basics into account, and the need to understand global interaction and the stepwise process of energy transitions, point out technical as well as conceptual weaknesses in data collection, harmonization and indicator generation, always with a view to solving problems.

sustainable development goals --- Agenda 2030 --- global indicator framework --- sustainability indicators --- SDGs --- sustainability indicators --- gross domestic product --- GDP --- fake news --- tweets --- scenarios --- world views --- values --- policies --- models and modes of science --- energy supply --- international inequality --- renewable energy --- fossil energy system --- tourist destination --- sustainable tourism --- indicators --- European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS) --- Visit South Sardinia --- modelling --- science-policy interface --- grid flexibility --- bio-economics --- energy transition --- storage --- curtailment --- indicators --- climate change --- biodiversity --- data needs --- monitoring --- policy advice --- Germany --- sustainable production and consumption --- resource indicator --- sustainable development goals --- material footprint --- household consumption --- microdata --- environmental innovation --- sustainability transition --- transformation --- evolutionary economics --- multi-level perspective --- innovation systems --- long-wave theory --- agency --- decision-making --- institutions --- sustainable development --- indicators --- stakeholders --- goals --- challenges --- opportunities --- societal impact