My latest perspective in Bridges is now online here. It is titled, ” The Role of Science Studies in Science Policy.” It starts out like this:

“In recent decades, science has been increasingly called upon to forge closer connections with the broader society. The days of the basic researcher toiling away in a laboratory with little concern about or accountability to external influences seems to be growing more distant every day. The trend toward a more societally-responsive scientific enterprise has been well documented by scholars who study science in society. Concepts describing this trend such as “Mode 2 science,” “use-inspired basic research,” and “well-ordered science” will be quite familiar to anyone well-acquainted with the discipline of “science and technology studies.” But this trend is not just something that affects natural scientists. It also affects scholars like myself who study science in society. This leads me to ask: What is the relationship between science studies and science policies? And how should that relationship be shaped?”

The rest can be found here. Comments welcomed.