This title was first published in 2001. This text attempts to explain what the underlying processes of the evolution of research policies of the European union and its member states. It does this from both a materialist approach and an idealist approach. On one side, the development of Community research policy since its origins is described as a series of responses to the shifting uncertainties the policy has been faced with and the need to legitimize its continuation in the face of those uncertainties. While the other side describes the development as an emphasis on the role of ideas as more than just an expression of "actors'" interests.