The SSL ‘Book of the Month’ feature highlights a book in our collection that has been chosen by one of our Subject Consultants. This may be a recent addition to our stock or an existing item that we would like to share with you.
May’s Book of the Month was selected by Jo Gardner, Bodleian Social Science Librarian and Subject Consultant for Politics and International Relations.
Politics and expertise: how to use science in a democratic society
Zeynep Pamuk
Princeton University Press, 2021
It was chosen because it has been described as ground-breaking, erudite and wise.
Book Overview
The author’s first book examines the relationship between science and democracy, from funding scientific research to its use in decision-making and its applications in new technologies. It has received the American Political Sciences Association’s Foundations of Political Theory Section First Book Award.
Reviews
“In a post-COVID world where contestation of both science and public institutions is on the rise, Pamuk’s book will remain a central point of reference for institutional theorists in the years to come.”
Mikołaj Szafrański, LSE Review of Books
“Science is vital for political decision making. Yet scientific expertise can be uncertain, incomplete, contradictory, and, sometimes, dangerous. In this ground-breaking book, Pamuk makes a powerful case for the democratic scrutiny of science. This is an incisive, erudite, and wise intervention, made all the more urgent by the recent Covid crisis.”
Cécile Laborde, University of Oxford
“Moving seamlessly from philosophical debates to pragmatic realities, Politics and Expertise deserves the attention of policymakers and concerned citizens alike.”
Peter Hall, Harvard University
How can I access it?
We have one lending copy of this book, which is located on our New Books Display Area (around the corner from our Issue Desk). Its shelfmark is JA80.PAM 2021
What would your SSL Book of the Month be? Do you have a favourite book in our collection? If so, we would love to know what it is. Add a comment below or email us.