ABSTRACT
Indeed, there was a period in the early 1960s when optimism about the rate and direction of scientific and technological advance, confidence about our national capacity to manage such advance and belief in the benign effects of the fruits of science and technology were at an all-time high. Since then, however, we as a nation have experienced great difficulties in managing the technological enterprise, especially in bringing science and technology to bear on economic productivity, comparative advantage in international trade and innovation. During the 1970s, the regulatory reach of the federal government was greatly extended to new areas of economic and social life, especially for the purpose of reducing health, safety and environmental risks. The challenge of science and technology goes to all societal institutions, from private corporations to universities to the legislative and executive councils of the public sector.
