Working Paper: NBER ID: w20595
Authors: Joshua L. Rosenbloom; Donna K. Ginther; Ted Juhl; Joseph Heppert
Abstract: This article examines the relationship between Research & Development (R&D) funding and the production of knowledge by academic chemists. Using articles published, either raw counts or adjusted for quality, we find a strong, positive causal effect of funding on knowledge production. This effect is similar across subsets of universities, suggesting a relatively efficient allocation of R&D funds. Finally, we document a rapid acceleration in the rate at which chemical knowledge was produced in the late 1990s and early 2000s relative to the financial and human resources devoted to its production.
Keywords: Research and Development; Scientific Productivity; Chemistry; Federal Funding
JEL Codes: H50; I23; O31; O32; O38
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| knowledge production (O36) | efficiency of publications (A14) |
| R&D funding (O32) | knowledge production (O36) |
| federal and non-federal R&D funding (O32) | number of publications (A14) |
| federal and non-federal R&D funding (O32) | number of citations (A14) |