The Policy Partnership with the U.S. Government (1988)

The National Academy of Sciences and its associated organizations—the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council—together constitute the most important advisory mechanism for science and technology policy in the United States, and perhaps in the world. No other government has created a private scientific organization with such a relationship to itself. For over a century the federal government has turned to the Academy for advice concerning some of the most compelling issues of the day. In recent decades, advice rendered by the Academies, largely through the National Research Council, and by the Institute of Medicine has also exerted increasing influence on universities, businesses, other nongovernmental entities, and consumers.

The organizations that make up the National Academy of Sciences complex have evolved to meet the changing needs of government and society. Today, issues of science and technology are crucial throughout a greatly expanded federal government. The National Academy of Sciences and its sister organizations have also greatly expanded, with the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine conducting studies across the broad spectrum of science and technology. This essay discusses the history and structure of the Academy complex, describes its activities in functional terms, explores the political dynamics of the relationship between the institution and the government, and speculates about some elements of the science and technology policy agenda that are likely to assume increasing prominence in the future.

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