This report is divided into three parts: first, an account of science advice to Congress and its dependence on its agencies; secondly, a more detailed look at the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) as the agency with most to offer other countries and most resemblance to parliamentary committee work; and thirdly, a short consideration of whether or not an OTA is appropriate for the UK.

This document is a faxed transmission of Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) materials located in the National Archives as overseen by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and as of May 12, 1998.

This document presents the findings of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) staff assessment of policy analysis that took place in 1992. It consisted of reviewing 18 sample OTA reports and soliciting opinions about OTA's policy analysis from outside observers. This report presents the findings of this assessment, along with options for OTA management and suggestions for OTA project directors.

A study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that "explores the range of technologies required for exploration and development of offshore energy resources and assesses associated economic factors and financial risks" (p. iii).

An analysis by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that evaluates "long-term trends in global seaborne trade and maritime technology in relation to the U.S. maritime industry" (p. 3).

A study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that "assesses the technical alternatives to continued reliance on southern Africa and the U.S.S.R. for strategic metals" (p. iii).

A collection of papers prepared by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that "presents a broad range of papers on specific technologies that could benefit both agricultural production and wildlife habitat requirements on private lands" (p. iii).

A case study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that presents "a careful description of the current and potential application of DSA (Digital Subtraction Angiography) within the area of diagnostic radiology concerned with cerebrovascular disease and to suggest the implications of the technology for patterns of clinical practice and patient care costs under different assumptions" (p. 3-4).

This OTA background paper evaluates the current state of knowledge and assesses the potential of bioremediation for responding to marine oil spills. Our basic message is a dual one: we caution that there are still many uncertainties about the use of bioremediation as a practical oil spill response technology; nevertheless, it could be appropriate in certain circumstances, and further research and development of bioremediation technologies could lead to enhancing the Nation’s capability to fight marine oil spills.

Three major areas are covered in this Staff Paper: 1) a review of the studies of health effects related to passive smoking; 2) a review of current Federal, State and local, and private sector workplace smoking policies; and 3) a discussion of factors to consider in an analysis of the costs and benefits of implementing a workplace smoking policy.

This paper examined the technologies and issues to be considered at World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC)-92, discusses the international and domestic context for WARC-93 preparations, and analyzed the U.S. process of conference preparation.

This OTA assessment reviews the status of federal government efforts to provide safe sanitation to Alaskan Natives and the technologies that have been used or proposed for this purpose. Finally, the report examines the legislative and institutional setting for the waste sanitation problems, and the criteria that need to be applied in selecting and implementing new technologies.

This report discusses the earth data—positional, topographic, climatological, meteorological, man–made features, and changes over time in all of these, which are increasingly important to the military. Data from these systems are bought and extensively used by the military and intelligence communities. The need to integrate data from military-unique systems as well only complicates the situation.

There are two longstanding constraints to implementing more energy efficient practices: 1) a shortage of finds to invest in efficient equipment; and 2) a lack of information for program planning and budgeting about the extent of investment opportunities and about the best finding mechanisms. This paper reviews advances made in addressing these constraints since 1991.

The primary purpose of this report is to identify options for enhancing the effectiveness of export controls in slowing or preventing the spread of capabilities to develop and produce weapons of mass destruction.

This report examines the management of the research and development process from which the new technologies are emerging. Partly as a result of the way in which the research and development process is managed, the allocation of research resources appears to be geared to meeting short-term needs and solving isolated problems, rather than to pursuing long-term goals and developing integrated verification regimes for the future. The report identifies a range of organizational options that might help improve the balance of research emphasis.

This report takes a strategic look at the development of electronic commerce and identifies the characteristics of the infrastructure that will be required to support it. The report found that, in an electronically networked economy, the design and underlying architecture of the global information infrastructure will have a major impact on national economic growth and development.

This report is the first in a broad assessment of the health and future prospects of the U.S. space transportation technology and industrial base. The report focuses on the Clinton Administration’s National Space Transportation Policy. It examines administration policy in light of the implementation plans prepared by NASA, DOD, and the Transportation and Commerce Departments.

A case study commissioned by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that attempts to "advance the state of the art cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) as the technique pertains to disease prevention and health promotion programs," using cervical cancer screening as the object of analysis (Summary).

An assessment by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that "addresses the recent controversy surrounding the implementation of the environmental protection aspects of the Federal coal leasing program" (p. iii).

A technical memorandum by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that presents "findings and conclusions regarding the role of the public and private research participants in the PHTME (postharvest technology and marketing economics) research, the benefits and burdens of PHTME research, trends in PHTME research funding, quality of PHTME research, and management of PHTME research in the public sector (p. iii).

An assessment by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that gives information about high-technology development programs ate state and local levels.

A report by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that "summarizes the major provisions of the 1979 Export Administration Act, highlighting those provisions which have led to problems of interpretation or exaction; recounts major provisions in U.S. export control policy towards the Soviet Union since 1979; and discusses the impacts and implications of those events-for the domestic economy, for U.S. political relations with the NATO allies and with the Soviet Union, and for U.S. national security" (p. iii).

Workshop proceedings gathered by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that cover the topic of space weapons and arms control as discussed during hearings.