The contribution which Social Science has made and may make to policy formulation in modern Europe is described and evaluated. The rapid economic growth of the post war period was accompanied by the growing impact of government economic policy but the contribution made by Social Science in most...

There is no way to measuring the pay-off of basic research activities and the reasons that lead countries to spend a part of their R&D budget in this field may appear as ideological rather than bearing the stamp of economic common sense. Still, in spite of our time of privatisation,...