All fields of public policy in all political systems require expert scientific or technical advice. This is the first study of how scientific knowledge and opinion (and sometimes speculation) are transmitted to government authorities for use in public policy-making. It discusses the formal and informal processes of scientific advice-giving, and applies these to case studies taken from all over Europe.

These include: a description of the Italian Government's reaction to the effects of Chernobyl and the role played by radiation experts; official scientific advice on Swiss nuclear power; the Black report on Sellafield and leukaemia in children, as well as policy on nuclear safety in Britain; and advice given to the French and other governments on the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.

It traces the growth of public awareness of scientific issues in government, concluding that the politics of expert advice will become even more sophisticated in the future.