Uses concepts from social theory to explore the history and future of nuclear power in the U.S. and to explore the nature of technological change in the U.S. economy.

This book weaves together nuclear power and social theory to explain the history and predict the future of nuclear power in the United States and to explore the determinants of technological change in the U.S. economy. The first half of the book looks at who promoted nuclear power, how they did it, and why nuclear costs and hazards were systematically underestimated. The second half looks at current debates about the technology's future through the lens of its history.