Scrutinising Science The Changing UK Government of Science

British science has undergone radical transformation during the past 20 years. This is less a result of scientific discoveries per se, but rather the structure of funding and institutions. Science used to occupy a discrete socio-economic space. Scientists enjoyed the privileges of status and funding in return for the generation of knowledge. This knowledge is now regarded as a commodified product or a set of commercialized relationships. This book aims to explain the transformation of science in the UK public sector through detailed analysis of the main Government Research establishments since 1979.