Offered in response to a request by the National Science Foundation for information on how knowledge affects policy, the document investigates federal support of social research and development and evaluates the relevance of this research to social policy. Social research and development (R & D) concerns the identification and solution of social problems. Major objectives of the report are to review the process by which R & D policy and programs influence decision makers, determine major avenues of influence, and consider criteria for planning social R & D. The document consists of six articles written by educators, researchers, a government official, and a law student. The first article cautions that no single yardstick can determine the usefulness of social R & D in our pluralistic society. The conclusion is that assessing usefulness project by project will produce too much superficial, secondary source research. The second article suggests that social R & D should not be subject to tighter control by federal staff but should serve as an intellectual backdrop of ideas. The third article maintains that public commissions rarely make use of social science research, regardless of its quality. The fourth article suggests additional research into knowledge/policy linkages, closer coordination among social R & D administrators, and better uses of funding. The fifth article recommends that researchers make more effort to maintain a constant flow of facts and interpretations to public policy makers. The final article discusses the use of social research in courts of law. (Author/DB)