Task Force on Science Policy: A Window on the Federal Funding and Management of Research (Revised)

摘要

The goal of the report is to discuss an array of interactions between noted scientists, science policy experts, and Members of Congress over the course of several hearings of the Task Force on Science Policy, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, in 1985 and 1986. The record of their discussions offers a unique window on the quality and tenor of contacts between the science community and elected representatives. The report displays the central tendencies of witnesses' and Members' concerns and interests, the points of agreement and disagreement between witnesses and Members, derived from their testimony, formal statements, and question-and-answer responses regarding five areas: research areas supported by major Federal agencies; data and analytical tools useful in characterizing the goals, priorities and outcomes of basic research; effective selection methods used by Federal agencies to ensure attainment of research goals; methods Congress can use to be assured the science community is attempting to perform research consistent with the stated goals of the programs; and the existence of clearly articulated goals for the funding and accomplishment of effective research. The report was prepared under contract to the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) as a part of a project on basic research for the 1990's.