The ideal that politics should be evidence-based is strong. Politics draws knowledge and research from the research system, particularly from the institute sector. This book is about research institutions and research policy—mainly the institute sector. These are institutions outside universities and university colleges whose main task is research and development work. Such institutes exist in many countries, but their roles and numbers have varied over time and between countries. The book focuses mostly on Norwegian conditions, but also on research institutes in Denmark and Sweden. It provides new insight into the roles and functioning of the institute sector in Scandinavia. It also discusses universities and university colleges and the relationship between institutions. The relationships between different policy and administrative fields and research institutes—and the use of research—are discussed. The book has 15 authors and is multidisciplinary. Most are political scientists and historians from universities and university colleges and from the institute sector. Many also have personal experience from different parts of the research system. Historical and political-science perspectives are combined, with emphasis on political context, intentions at the establishment of institutes, and analyses of developments over time.