In this Book
- Science Policy under Thatcher
- Book
- 2019
- Published by: University College London
-
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
summary
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.
Table of Contents
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- Half Title
- pp. i-ii
- Title Page
- p. iii
- Copyright Page
- p. iv
- Dedication
- p. v
- List of tables
- p. vii
- Acknowledgements
- p. viii
- 1 Introduction
- pp. 1-17
- 2 Who made science policy?
- pp. 18-61
- Coda: AIDS and bioethics
- pp. 122-138
- 4 Power/leaks
- pp. 139-169
- 5 Radioactive privatisation
- pp. 170-187
- 7 Environment and science
- pp. 221-260
- 8 Science policy under and after Thatcher
- pp. 261-278
- Bibliography
- pp. 279-288
Additional Information
ISBN
9781787353411
Related ISBN(s)
9781787353428
MARC Record
OCLC
1231547257
Launched on MUSE
2021-01-19
Language
English
Open Access
Yes
Creative Commons
CC-BY