Post-WWII UK Science Policy - Essay Example

?Post WWII UK science policy and theories of change in science policy - Outline the main features of UK science policy in the different periods "...people have awakened to the fact that science and technology are just the latest expressions of power and that those who control them have become the new bosses, exactly as the feudal landlords who owned the land, or the capitalist pioneers who owned the factories, become the bosses of earlier generations. Ordinary people will not now be satisfied until they have got their hands on this power and have turned it to meet their needs" (Benn 1971, Pp. 23) Introduction: The essence of the above quoted lines, can be better understood by studying the manner in which external political environment has influenced the development and shaping of science policies over the years. The investment in science and technology by respective governments during the past decades, signify their aims in achieving greater power and control on a global platform, and maximize their economic benefits in the process. The structure of government and the policies adopted by it, today, reflect largely the times we live in and the external political environment around us. The policies and strategies in today's times have evolved as a consequence of such external factors, and circumstances, which existed prior to the two world wars, and are in stark contrast to the contemporary times. The impact of technological revolution, on the society today, is the result of such policies and political will. The fact that science is an influential tool used for political domination is established through this study. Furthermore it also suggests the manner in which policies and investment in science and technology have changed over the years, in response to the change in structure of government. The increased government spending on research and development of nuclear weapons post the World War II, during the Wilson Labour government (1964-1970) to the shift in investment in industrial research during the Thatcher Major Conservative government (1979 – 1997) and finally to the Blair / Brown government’s (1997 – 2010) emphasis on building a knowledge economy by enhancing the quality of life through wealth creation. This essay discusses the key features of science policy under the Thatcher government and during the Blair / Brown administration, as well as point out the contrasts and comparisons between the same. UK Science Policy Post WWII: The science policy of two governments namely, The Thatcher / Major Conservative Government (1979 – 1997) and The Blair / Brown Labour Government (1997 – 2010) are discussed in this section: The Thatcher / Major Conservative Government (1979 – 1997): Various strategic changes in the science policy were observed during the Thatcher administration. One of the key aims of the Thatcher government was to provide a social environment with minimum possible, moderation on the activities of private industry. The Thatcher government which came to power during the late 1970s saw major investments in science and technology, with a greater emphasis on industrial development. The government focused mainly on development of research fields which had a strong industrial relevance, resulting in priority funding in this sector. This in turn strengthened the relationship between the private industry, universities and Research councils, which were initially devoid of such funding. One of the fields that were mostly benefited through such extensive funding was: genetic engineering (Wright, 1994). The science policy under this regime was mostly centralized and was subjected to major interference from the government. The key focus was to steer the scientific innovations in a way that could benefit the society, through maximum revenue generation. The main agenda of this administration was to liberate the private enterprises, and reduce state intervention and cuts in public sector spending. Overall reductions in budget were made, in the areas of education and in universities, regardless of the fact that the country was already reeling under the pressure of shortage of skilled labour. This was done to ensure that their policies directly benefit the industry (Edgerton, 1989; Gummett, 1991). During the Thatcher administration, science suffered a serious setback as university funding hit an all time low, academic investments saw severe cut backs and support for science dwindled. The percentage of GDP spent on science during this era was much less as compared to the other developed countries. Such drastic science policies put Britain behind its contemporaries including US, Japan, Germany and France by the end of 1993. It also led to brain drain as scientists and researchers from UK began moving to greener pastures. The situation became critical by the time new government came to power in 1997 which had to revive the policies of the previous government drastically, in order to prevent such massive brain drain (Jasanoff, 2005). Figure 1: Investment in science for the period: 1986 - 2015 Source: The Royal Soc. The Blair / Brown Labour Government (1997 – 2010): The Blair government's prime political agenda was to radically transform the British economy through three key areas: encouraging development of the private enterprise, wealth creation and investment and investing in research and development and technological innovation. The administration clearly intended to increase funding in science and technology, than the previous government, and decentralize the control in the field of science, as opposed to the Thatcher government (Seldon & Kavanagh, 2005). This administration encouraged university funding thus leading to improved university-industry ties. The projects funded were beneficial to both - the industry as well as for overall growth of the society as a whole. Theories of change in science policy: Public policy in the context of science is of absolute necessity, mainly because, most of the research in science and technology is funded by the government and hence some form of government control over the areas of research is necessary to help the nations in achieving some of its key goals - such as driving economic growth, gaining greater control in international markets, achieving military power and expertise and driving industrial growth among others (Bridgstock, 1998). The science policies adopted by successive governments post WWII can best be described in the context of Mode 1 and Mode 2 theories as well as by the Triple Helix theory. The Mode II theory alternatively referred to as the Big Science theory of research, entailed investment in huge scientific research projects involving large number of well trained scientists in a systematic hierarchical organization. It was during the post WWII period that the world saw an emergence of an information society where knowledge was given top priority and justifying the rise in funding of universities and academic institutions (Gibbons et al., 1994). The Blair / Brown government’s science policy is indicative of this trend, where huge investments in universities and academic institutions were made and greater emphasis was given to increasing the knowledge of general public and raise awareness regarding science and technology, with a view to encourage public participation in decision making. Main Comparison and Contrast: The era during the early 1980s was marked by radical innovation in the field of technology which was developed for the benefit of industries. This era played a crucial role in accelerating industrial development owing to its science policies which entailed heavy funding to research and development with regard to industries. The science policies of Blair / Brown administration on the other hand, were focused on wealth creation through public participation. The policies of the Thatcher administration were highly autonomous in nature, which laid little or no emphasis on public involvement. Most of the policy decisions were taken in the absence of public debates. The Blair / Brown administration however, encouraged public participation in the formulation of its science policies and public involvement was sought actively. The policies of Thatcher administration led to drastic cutbacks on university funding while the Blair / Brown government increased funding in academics and universities. The emphasis of Thatcher administration was more on industrial relevance while that of Blair / Brown government was on encouraging public involvement and increasing their awareness, knowledge and understanding of science, in order to be able to participate in decision making. In conclusion, science policies have always been concerned with developing appropriate and effective policies in the best interest of the nation. Concerns regarding public understanding of science have, over time, lagged behind as compared to more crucial aims, that of national interest and the use of science for either military or industrial development purposes. However, the priorities afforded to either, have changed over the years, as reflected in the science policies of different governments in the past decades. From the highly industry oriented policies of the Thatcher era, to the more public oriented policies of the Blair / Brown era, there have been massive changes in the science policy post WWII. Total word count: 1451 (excluding Bibliography) Bibliography: Benn, A. W., (1971). Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science Inc., Norwich: UK, Pp. 23 Bridgstock, M., (1998). Science, Technology, and society: an introduction. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: UK Pp. 180 - 182 Edgerton, D with K.S. Hughes (1989), The Poverty of Science: A Critical Analysis of Scientific and Industrial Policy Under Mrs Thatcher, Public Administration. 67 (Winter 1989), pp. 419-33 Gibbons, M. Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., (1994). The New Production of Knowledge: The Dynamics of Research in Contemporary Societies, SAGE Publication, London: UK, Pp. 17 - 20 Jasanoff, S., (2005). Designs on nature: science and democracy in Europe and the United States, Princeton University Press, Oxford: UK, Pp. 239 - 245 Seldon, A., Kavanagh, D., (2005). The Blair effect 2001 - 5, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: UK, Pp. 185 - 189 Wright, S., (1994). Molecular politics: developing American and British regulatory policy for genetic engineering, 072 - 1982. University of Chicago Press, Chicago: USA, Pp. 63 Read More