Public Science and Public Policy in Victorian England

by Roy M. MacLeod

Overview

This book comprises nine essays, selected from Roy MacLeod's work on the social history of Victorian science, and is concerned with the analysis of science as a responsibility and opportunity for 19th-century statecraft. It illuminates the origins of environmental regulation, the creation of scientific inspectorates, the reform of scientific institutions, and the association of government with the patronage and support of fundamental research. Above all, it explores several of the ways in which British scientists became 'statesmen in disguise', negotiating interests and professional goals by association with the interests of the state as 'provider' and agent of efficiency in education and in the application of research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040245729
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/01/2024
Series:	Variorum Collected Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344

Table of Contents

Contents: The Alkali Acts Administration, 1863-84: the emergence of the civil scientist; Government and resource conservation: the Salmon Acts Administration, 1860-86; Science and government in Victorian England: lighthouse illumination and the Board of Trade, 1866-86; Whigs and Savants: reflections on the Reform Movement in the Royal society, 1830-48; Science and the Civil List, 1824-1914; Of medals and men: a reward system in Victorian science, 1826-1914; Science and the Treasury: principles, personalities and policies, 1870-85; The Royal Society and the government grant: notes on the administration of scientific research, 1849-1914; The support of Victorian science: the endowment of research movement in Great Britain, 1868-1900; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Through selected examples rather than broad generalizations, describes the interactions between science and government in 19th-century England, which included government support for scientific research, adorning government with scientific principles in order to legitimize it, and cooperation between specific government and scientific bodies. Also considers the self-organization of the scientific community. Among the discussions are lighthouse illumination and the Board of Trade, 1866-86; the reform movement in the Royal Society, 1830-48; science and the treasury; and the endowment of research movement, 1868-1900. The nine essays were originally published between 1965 and 1983. Distributed in the US by Ashgate. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

'...a timely and highly readable collection of papers...this handsomely bound volume is a valuable resource for science historians and anybody else interested in broader questions of science and technology policy.' Prometheus, Vol. 17, No. 1

From the Publisher