Discusses public policy formation concerning the recombinant DNA controversy. Compares this issue with the case of atomic energy in 1946. (MA)

Reviews the history of federal regulation in the communications industry, places the "Bell Bill" in some historical perspective, and relates the significance of activities in the regulatory sphere to the concerns of libraries. (Author/VT)

Concern for the future of aerospace education and technology prompted this study of manpower needs conducted by NASA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Conclusions of the study are reported in the article. (MA)

Social scientists need to become more concerned with the study of dangerous behaviors and practices in our society, especially in light of the disproportionate injury and harm suffered by socially disadvantaged groups. (Author)

The rehabilitative model of correctional policy is being challenged by those who favor punishment of offenders. However, an examination of the present criminal justice system, a review of existing research, and an awareness of what is not known about corrections dictate an incremental approach to policymaking and the strengthening of selected…

The development and use of a simulation game designed to facilitate nationwide long-range library planning for American Indian communities is described. The use of simulation outcomes in plan development is analyzed. Implications on the effectiveness of simulation in the library planning process are made. (Author)

When chief administrators of 196 public residential facilities for the retarded were surveyed to determine their willingness to encourage resident participation in policy decisions, findings revealed varying degrees of support as a function of retardation level and policy issue. (CL)

Because of their special mission, colleges and universities have unique patent concerns that warrant detailed exploration, particularly regarding ownership of patent rights on inventions developed on campus under federal contracts and grants. Rights and concerns of the inventor, the university, and financial sponsors are outlined. (Author/LBH)

The development of fuels from biomass can lead naturally to dispersed facilities that incorporate food or materials production (or both) with fuel production. The author analyzes possible systems based on sugarcane, corn, and guayule. (Author/MA)

A critical analysis is made of selected portions of an ALA committee document on national information policy. The authors state that the "...document does not provide a conceptual foundation for anything. It is arrant nonsense and deserves to be repudiated as quickly and emphatically as possible." (JPF)

It appears that Thomas R. Pickering, a career foreign service officer with no science in his background, has been nominated as the new head of the Federal science bureau. This is a discussion of the past and future importance of that office. (BB)

Pleads for a more complex conceptualization of the policy process that considers the factors of time, policy areas, level of government, and nation. Available from The American Academy of Political and Social Science, 3937 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104; $15.00 annually. (Author/IRT)

Five basic definitions of evaluation are identified: (1) evaluation as measurement; (2) evaluation as professional judgment; (3) evaluation as the assessment of congruence between performance and objectives (or standards of performance); (4) decision-oriented evaluation; and (5) goal-free/responsive evaluation. (Editor/LBH)

Discusses the legal structure of policy boards relative to Teacher Centers and the normative processes that become institutionalized as Teacher Centers are formed and become operational, i.e., the communication patterns, linkages, ways of working. (Author/RK)