First published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1990. The contributors discuss the organizations for provision of science and technology advice to the highest levels of governments of some 35 countries, including major countries of the world and a selection of important smaller countries. Inclusion of some communist and developing countries adds piquancy. The papers comment on functioning of those organizations as well as describe their formal structure. Each author was asked to describe the science and technology advising organizations for the highest level of his or her country's government and comment on its effectiveness and how it influences policy formulation and action.

The new Obama administration and the 110th Congress elected in November 2008 will face immediate challenges. Events will not permit a leisurely leadership transition. The prompt appointment of a Presidential science adviser and the nomination of top officials in the new administration with the knowledge and experience to address complex problems will be essential. The concerns of the nation regarding jobs and economic growth, health care, national security, energy, and the environment demand informed action. Each of these concerns-from national security, economic development, health care, and the environment, to education, energy, and natural resources-is touched in essential ways by the nation's science and technology enterprise. This is the fourth in a series of books from the National Academies on the presidential appointment process, each delivered during a presidential election year with the goal of providing recommendations to the President-elect about appointing his senior science and technology leadership and pursuing sustained improvements in the appointments process.

Essays in honour of one of Canada's finest scholars of public policy.