"Industrial policy" has been one of the foci of political debate in the United States over the past several decades. Advocates of a national industrial policy cite the spectacular success of the Japanese government in pushing forward major industries (electronics, for example) in order to expand the Japanese trade position in the world. These advocates urge agencies like NIST and NSF to take lead roles in promoting development in areas where US industries can benefit. Opponents of industrial policy believe that the marketplace is far more efficient at deciding on how funds should be allocated. They cite the recent failures of Japanese industrial policy including the Japanese "fifth generation computer" crash program that has failed to overcome US leadership in advanced computer technology. While this debate continues, it is important to look at the historical record of the effects of national industrial policy. Dr. Butrica is examining one of the longest running industrial policies, viz., that of France as exemplified in its "Society for the Promotion of National Industry" (SEIN after the French). SEIN was a private organization with public functions begun in 1801 to formulate and implement French industrial policy through the application of science to national industrial ends. Dr. Butrica is examining the widely diverse activities of SEIN. The policies promoted by SEIN highlighted key industrial sectors and focused on capital-intensive, large-scale enterprises. Its execution involved four broad strategies: 1) the diffusion of useful information through a journal; 2) annual prize programs to stimulate specified industrial improvements in key industrial sectors; 3) the bestowal of medals to reward unanticipated inventions and innovations in all industrial sectors; and 4) special programs. These latter were either sustained endeavors such as industrial research or standardization ventures or the foundations to help unfortunate workers and inventors, or exceptional steps taken t o address a single issue such as patent reform. At each stage in his history of SEIN, Dr. Butrica is relating its industrial policy to the larger pattern of French industrialization and is exploring the relationship between SEIN and the state. Because the stated goal of SEIN was to promote industry through the application of science, the analysis also comprises the role of scientists and engineers in the formulation of industrial policy.
