Cooperation between scientists and the government in the US: benefits and problems

This paper discusses the importance of maintaining close working relations between scientists and their government. Several examples of this cooperati on in the U.S. are presented to illustrate the benefits, as well as problem s, that result from such cooperation, or lack thereof. These examples inclu de government support of scientific research, as well as contributions by s cience to help governments understand both the possibilities and the limita tions of science as they formulate national policy. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.