Table of Contents

Preface; Contributors; 1. Governments and social science: patterns of mutual influence Martin Bulmer; Part I. Research in the Context of Policy-Making: 2. The governmental context: interaction between structure and influence Martin Bulmer; 3. Governmental structures, social science and the development of economic social policies Theda Skocpol; 4. The use of social research: myths and models Patricia Thomas; 5. Networks of influence: the social sciences in Britain since the war Cyril S. Smith; 6. Social science in Whitehall: two analytic perspectives Stuart S. Blume; 7. Congressional committee staffs (do, do not) use analysis Carol H. Weiss; 8. Social science training as related to the policy roles of US career officials and appointees: the decline of analysis Colin Campbell and Donald Naulls; 9. Perhaps Minister: the messy world of 'in house' government social research Robert Walker; 10. Social science in government: the case of the Home Office Research and Planning Unit Derek B. Cornish and Ronald V. Clarke; 11. The work of the Commission for Economic and Social Change in Germany Lisl Klein; Part II. Methodologies for Policy Research: 12. Varieties of methodology: strengthening the contribution of social science Martin Bulmer; 13. The links between policy, survey research and academic social science: America and Britain compared Aubrey McKennell, John Bynner and Martin Bulmer; 14. Survey research for government Barry Hedges; 15. The Federal effort in developing social indicators and social reporting in the United States during the 1970s Denis F. Johnston; 16. Social science analysis and congressional uses: the case of the United States General Accounting Office Ray C. Cist; 17. Comparative aspects of randomised experiments for planning and evaluation Robert F. Boruch; Part III. The Political Context: 18. The social sciences in an age of uncertainty Martin Bulmer; 19. 'Pulling through': conspiracies, counterplots and how the SSRC escaped the axe in 1982 Paul Flather; 20. Social science under siege: the political response 1981–1984 Roberta Balstad Miller; Index.

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A collection of twenty original essays considering the relationship between social science research and government in Britain and the USA.