In this collection of essays, readers can get a sense of the character and history of science policy, the organization of scientific communities, and relations between scientists and the state in nine countries. The volume's editor, Etel Solingen, provides an introduction to orient the discussions which follow. She defines the concern of the collection as “the impact of state structures and state involvement in the international political and economic systems on the domestic political economy of science” (p. 3). Solingen's essay draws on a wide range of literatures, including recent work on the political sociology of the state, research in institutional political economy, and—of course—on the history of science policy. Contributors to the book make an effort to work broadly within the framework which Solingen outlines, though clearly none feels bound by it.