Provides a nontechnical reference source of the relevant social science and policy literature on nanotechnology. The authors hope to engender not only a greater appreciation of the economic and social benefits of nanotechnology but also to encourage more extensive research and public support of this technology. Section 2 briefly overviews U.S. policy initiatives related to nanotechnology and to the systematic investment in research that the U.S. Congress has approved to advance it over the nearly past two decades. Section 3 summarizes these U.S. research investments into nanotechnology and compares dimensions of nanotechnology activity in the United States to activity in other countries. Section 4 offers a taxonomy and overview of the relevant social science and policy literature related to nanotechnology. The taxonomy is a subjective classifying device for tracking the growth of this literature over time; the overview is a descriptive summary of how researchers in these disciplines have characterized the practice of nanotechnology. The appendix to this monograph presents an annotated bibliography of this literature. The extensive annotated bibliography fills a gap in the literature because the reviews that exist are limited in scope, and the review points out the lack of policy research related to public investments in nanotechnology. Finally, Section 5 suggests specific directions for future policy research with a focus on a methodology for evaluating the social benefits of publicly funded nanotechnology R&D investments.

Innovations create both opportunities and dilemmas. They provide new and supposedly better opportunities, but - because of their newness - they are often more uncertain and potentially worse than existing options. Recent inventions and discoveries include new drugs, new energy sources, new foods, new manufacturing technologies, new toys and new pedagogical methods, new weapon systems, new home appliances and many other discoveries and inventions. Is it better to use or not to use a new and promising but unfamiliar and hence uncertain innovation? That dilemma faces just about everybody. The paradigm of the innovation dilemma characterizes many situations, even when a new technology is not actually involved. The dilemma arises from new attitudes, like individual responsibility for the global environment, or new social conceptions, like global allegiance and self-identity transcending nation-states. These dilemmas have far-reaching implications for individuals, organizations, and society at large as they make decisions in the age of innovation. The uncritical belief in outcome-optimization - "more is better, so most is best" - pervades decision-making in all domains, but is often irresponsible when facing the uncertainties of innovation. There is a great need for practical conceptual tools for understanding and managing the dilemmas of innovation. This book offers a new direction for a wide audience. It discusses examples from many fields, including e-reading, bipolar disorder and pregnancy, disruptive technology in industry, stock markets, agricultural productivity and world hunger, military hardware, military intelligence, biological conservation, on-line learning, and more.

The objective of Policies for the Provision of Finance to Science-Based Entrepreneurship is to survey the policies implemented to foster the establishment of science-based firms and finance their growth. First, the authors examine the literature on science-based entrepreneurial firms. Second, they describe policies for fostering the establishment of science-based entrepreneurial firms. Third, the authors move to the financing problems of science-based entrepreneurial firms and review the literature on how these firms can manage to overcome their financial constraints. Fourth, they conclude by discussing the policies aimed at fostering the provision of finance to science-based entrepreneurial firms. Finally, a brief section concludes the review by discussing the main recent political developments, namely Trumpism and Brexit, and their impact on the global market.