| Abstract: | Aspects of and approaches to science-technology forecasting as a public policy tool are reviewed. In doing so, a distinction is made between factors that determine the volume or direction of scientific or technological research and factors that determine the ‘ideational content’ of such research. Particular attention is then paid to the strengths and weaknesses of current methodologies and the standards for evaluating them as authoritative forecasts of the future. A concluding section argues for the importance of retrospective studies of science- technology innovation and performance. |
