Scrutinising Science: The Changing UK Government of Science

223 Pages·2004·0.928 MB·English

by  Rebecca Boden, Deborah Cox, Maria Nedeva, Katharine Barker (auth.)

Scrutinising Science
The Changing UK Government of Science
Rebecca Boden, Deborah Cox,
Maria Nedeva and Katharine Barker
Transforming Government
General Editor: R. A. W. Rhodes, Professor of Politics, University of Newcastle
This important and authoritative new series arises out of the seminal ESRC
Whitehall Programme and seeks to fill the enormous gaps in our knowledge
of the key actors and institutions of British government. It examines the many
large changes during the postwar period and puts these into comparative context
by analysing the experience of the advanced industrial democracies of Europe
and the nations of the Commonwealth. The series reports the results of the
Whitehall Programme, a four-year project into change in British government in
the postwar period, mounted by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Titles include:
Rebecca Boden, Deborah Cox, Maria Nedeva and Katharine Barker
SCRUTINISING SCIENCE
The Changing UK Government of Science
Simon Bulmer, Martin Burch, Calitríona Carter, Patricia Hogwood and
Andrew Scott
BRITISH DEVOLUTION AND EUROPEAN POLICY-MAKING
Transforming Britain to Multi-Level Governance
Nicholas Deakin and Richard Parry
THE TREASURY AND SOCIAL POLICY
The Contest for Control of Welfare Strategy
Oliver James
THE EXECUTIVE AGENCY REVOLUTION IN WHITEHALL
Public Interest Versus Bureau-Shaping Perspectives
David Marsh, David Richards and Martin J. Smith
CHANGING PATTERNS OF GOVERNANCE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Reinventing Whitehall?
B. Guy Peters, R. A. W. Rhodes and Vincent Wright (editors)
ADMINISTERING THE SUMMIT
Administration of the Core Executive in Developed Countries
R. A. W. Rhodes (editor)
TRANSFORMING BRITISH GOVERNMENT
Volume One: Changing Institutions
Volume Two: Changing Roles and Relationships
Martin J. Smith
THE CORE EXECUTIVE IN BRITAIN
Kevin Theakston
LEADERSHIP IN WHITEHALL
Kevin Theakston (editor)
BUREAUCRATS AND LEADERSHIP
Patrick Weller, Herman Bakvis and R. A. W. Rhodes (editors)
THE HOLLOW CROWN
Countervailing Trends in Core Executives
Transforming Government
Series Standing Order ISBN 978-0-333-71580-2
(outside North America only)
You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing
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Scrutinising Science
The Changing UK Government of Science
Rebecca Boden
Professor of Accounting, Bristol Business School,
University of the West of England, UK
Deborah Cox
Research Fellow, PREST, University of Manchester, UK
Maria Nedeva
Research Fellow, PREST, University of Manchester, UK
and
Katharine Barker
Research Fellow, PREST, University of Manchester, UK
© Rebecca Boden,Deborah Cox,Maria Nedeva and Katharine Barker 2004
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2004 978-0-333-74969-2
All rights reserved.No reproduction,copy or transmission of this
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as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2004 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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Companies and representatives throughout the world
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
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ISBN 978-1-349-41194-8 ISBN 978-1-4039-4393-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781403943934
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managed and sustained forest sources.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Scrutinising science :the changing UK government of science /
Rebecca Boden… [et al.].
p.cm.– (Transforming government)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-333-74969-2 (cloth)
1.Science and state – Great Britain.2.Research – Government policy –
Great Britain I.Boden Rebecca,1958– II.Transforming government (Palgrave
Macmillan (Firm))
Q127.G4S47–2004
338.941(cid:2)06—dc21 2003054919
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04
Contents
List of Tables vii
List of Figures viii
List of Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgements xi
Foreword xii
1 The Changing Nature of Scientific Organisation 1
1 Introduction 1
2 Science, society and change 2
3 Science dynamics and conceptual frameworks 3
4 Science dynamics: a different viewpoint 13
5 The structure of this book 27
2 Historical Context 28
1 Introduction 28
2 Science in Britain before 1939 29
3 The post-war era 34
4 Some conclusions 44
3 New Public Management 47
1 Introduction 47
2 The concept(s) of new public management 47
3 New public management in Britain 52
4 New public management and science in the UK 56
5 Some conclusions 72
4 The Organisation of Science 75
1 Introduction 75
2 The nature and diversity of services and customers 75
3 A typography of reform 78
4 The reformed organisations 87
5 Some conclusions 106
5 Science and Markets 109
1 Introduction 109
2 Market failure and states 112
v
vi Contents
3 Perceptions of state failure 115
4 A model of marketisation and privatisation 120
5 Privatisation and marketisation 125
6 Some conclusions 135
6 Scientific Knowledge Production Processes 136
1 Introduction 136
2 Knowledge production processes defined 137
3 Phases of knowledge production in the UK 141
4 ‘Shared visions’ and commodified science? 145
5 Of cost codes and other things 153
6 Some conclusions 155
7 Lab Reports 157
1 Introduction 157
2 Accountability discussed 158
3 New accountabilities in science 165
4 Discussion and conclusions 183
8 The Future of Science? 185
1 Introduction 185
2 3-D change 186
3 Change 189
4 Scenarios for science 191
Notes 194
Bibliography 196
Index 204
List of Tables
1.1 Argued differences between Mode 1 and Mode 2
knowledge production 9
2.1 Annual rates of industrial growth 30
3.1 The first wave – outcome of the first tranche of
Prior Options Reviews 73
4.1 Examples of the range of science and technology
services procured by the UK government 77
4.2 Government Research Establishments, agency status
and subsequent status 80
vii
List of Figures
2.1 Traditional model of science 45
3.1 Establishment mission areas 58
5.1 A model for marketisation 121
viii
List of Abbreviations
AA Automobile Association
ADAS Agricultural Development and Advisory Service
BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
BRDC British Research and Development Corporation
BRE Building Research Establishment
BSE Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
C&AG Comptroller and Auditor General
CEFAS Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquamarine Science
DEFRA Department for Rural Affairs
DERA Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
DES Department for Education and Science
DoE Department of the Environment
DoT Department of Transport
DRA Defence Research Agency
DSIR Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
DSTL Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
DTI Department of Trade and Industry
EU European Union
FMI Financial Management Initiative
GoCo Government-owned, Company-operated
GRE Government Research Establishment
HMSO Her Majesty’s Stationery Office
HSE Health and Safety Executive
IPCS Institution of Professional Civil Servants
IPMS Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists
LGC Laboratory of the Government Chemist
MAFF Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
MINIS Management Information System for Ministers
MoD Ministry of Defence
MRC Medical Research Council
NAMAS National Measurement Accreditation Service
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NEL National Engineering Laboratory
NIS National Innovation System
NPL National Physical Laboratory
NPM New Public Management
ix