Issues for STS Raised by Defence Science and Technology Policy

Abstract

This paper discusses a surprisingly understudied aspect of science studies, namely, the area of defence science and technology policy. It reviews work done in the past, and outlines a number of more recent developments that show that the interest taken in the field is growing. It discusses new directions that might be followed from sociological and economic perspectives, and suggests that the analysis of defence science and technology policy offers scope for integration between different fields within the social studies of science.