SCIENTISTS AND GOVERNMENT: A CASE OF PROFESSIONAL AMBIVALENCE.

The reciprocal relations of science with technology, and of both with society, had been an ongoing debate for long. When governments throughout the world spend billions of dollars on research and development, the centrality of science and technology to societal needs is no longer a subject of debate. As science and technology have become a self-conscious matter for government and societal concern, so also have scientists. Their knowledge proved relevant to the economic and political concerns of officials in government. Working for the government is not uncommon among scientists. A significant number are employed in government laboratories and in administrative positions in federal agencies. Despite the large numbers of scientists employed by the federal government and the growing technical orientation and involvement of many federal agencies, a career in government still poses some difficult value conflicts and barriers to policy influence for a scientist. The most important social aspect of the scientific profession is the orientation of scientists toward their work and peers.