The Fifth Branch: Science Advisers as Policymakers

In their expanding roles as advisers, scientists have emerged as a formidable fifth branch of government. But even though the growing dependence of regulatory agencies on scientific and technical information has granted scientists a greater influence on public policy, opinions differ as to how those contributions should be balanced against other policy concerns. Merging legal and institutional analysis with social studies of science, Jasanoff presents a strong case for procedural reforms.