In Tradeoffs, the author touches on many of these points, but he focuses principally on the actions of society in absorbing technology. He is concerned with "the social management of technology (which) focuses on the broader participation of society as a whole in the acts of management."
Edward Wenk has had a distinguished career in public service related to science and technology policy, notably in the Washington arena. It is therefore not surprising that the strongest chapters in the book are those concerned with the decision processes of the government and involvement of the public. Wenk's insights and judgments on technology and the political process are valuable guides to understanding current events and to reasoned actions on future issues.
One result of the book's emphasis is minimal treatment of the mechanisms involved in generating technical change, and insufficient recognition of the emergence of industrial research as the current driving force ...
