In a desperate attempt to be relevant given the US Election, Tom and Stuart dedicate this episode of The Studies Show to talking about government investment in science. How bad is it if politicians cut the science budget? Exactly how much do you get back for every pound or dollar spent on science—and how is that even calculated in the first place?
The Studies Show is brought to you by Works in Progress magazine—a journal of science, history, and technology that discusses the secrets behind human progress. You can read their published essays at worksinprogress.co, or their shorter pieces on their Substack at worksinprogress.news.
Show notes
Nature’s editorial: “The world needs a President who respects evidence”
Nature’s editorial on the “surge in far-right parties” in Europe cutting the science budget
Tom’s 2015 BuzzFeed News article on science budget cuts in the UK
Article on Argentinian science budget cuts under Javier Milei
Andre Geim and Nancy Rothwell’s 2024 Guardian article on how £1 of science funding gets you £12 back
Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake’s book, Capitalism Without Capital
Haskel’s 2014 paper finding a £4 return on investment for every £1 spent on science
2024 UK National Centre for Universities and Business report finding that £1 of science investment leads to £3-4 of private investment
Credits
The Studies Show is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions. We’re grateful to Jonathan Haskel for talking to us for this episode; as always, any mistakes are our own.
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