{"title":"不愿进行突破性研究:信号解释","authors":"Damien Besancenot , Radu Vranceanu","doi":"10.1016/j.respol.2024.104974","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The current state of scientific research is disappointing due to the lack of significant breakthroughs, despite an ever-increasing number of publications and substantial resources invested in R&D activities. This paper proposes a signaling model as a complementary explanation to this phenomenon. If managers of research institutions can observe publications but are unable to observe breakthrough innovations, low-skilled scholars might reduce their investment in exploratory research and instead invest time in publishing as many papers as high-skilled scholars. This would allow them to claim the same level of compensation. In response to the imitation by low-skilled scholars, high-skilled scholars would publish even more, reaching a point where low-skilled scholars would abandon the imitation strategy. This mechanism leads to an equilibrium with (1) insufficient investment in exploratory research by high-skilled scholars, (2) excessive focus on publishing papers, (3) reduced effectiveness of resource-based incentives for exploratory research, and (4) reduced effectiveness of reward-based incentives for research.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48466,"journal":{"name":"Research Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733324000234/pdfft?md5=b88a0fd03aafebd01a1da1991a9e8319&pid=1-s2.0-S0048733324000234-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Reluctance to pursue breakthrough research: A signaling explanation\",\"authors\":\"Damien Besancenot , Radu Vranceanu\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.respol.2024.104974\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><p>The current state of scientific research is disappointing due to the lack of significant breakthroughs, despite an ever-increasing number of publications and substantial resources invested in R&D activities. This paper proposes a signaling model as a complementary explanation to this phenomenon. If managers of research institutions can observe publications but are unable to observe breakthrough innovations, low-skilled scholars might reduce their investment in exploratory research and instead invest time in publishing as many papers as high-skilled scholars. This would allow them to claim the same level of compensation. In response to the imitation by low-skilled scholars, high-skilled scholars would publish even more, reaching a point where low-skilled scholars would abandon the imitation strategy. This mechanism leads to an equilibrium with (1) insufficient investment in exploratory research by high-skilled scholars, (2) excessive focus on publishing papers, (3) reduced effectiveness of resource-based incentives for exploratory research, and (4) reduced effectiveness of reward-based incentives for research.</p></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":48466,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Research Policy\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":7.5000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-02-06\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733324000234/pdfft?md5=b88a0fd03aafebd01a1da1991a9e8319&pid=1-s2.0-S0048733324000234-main.pdf\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Research Policy\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"91\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733324000234\",\"RegionNum\":1,\"RegionCategory\":\"管理学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"MANAGEMENT\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Research Policy","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733324000234","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MANAGEMENT","Score":null,"Total":0}
Reluctance to pursue breakthrough research: A signaling explanation
The current state of scientific research is disappointing due to the lack of significant breakthroughs, despite an ever-increasing number of publications and substantial resources invested in R&D activities. This paper proposes a signaling model as a complementary explanation to this phenomenon. If managers of research institutions can observe publications but are unable to observe breakthrough innovations, low-skilled scholars might reduce their investment in exploratory research and instead invest time in publishing as many papers as high-skilled scholars. This would allow them to claim the same level of compensation. In response to the imitation by low-skilled scholars, high-skilled scholars would publish even more, reaching a point where low-skilled scholars would abandon the imitation strategy. This mechanism leads to an equilibrium with (1) insufficient investment in exploratory research by high-skilled scholars, (2) excessive focus on publishing papers, (3) reduced effectiveness of resource-based incentives for exploratory research, and (4) reduced effectiveness of reward-based incentives for research.
期刊介绍:
Research Policy (RP) articles explore the interaction between innovation, technology, or research, and economic, social, political, and organizational processes, both empirically and theoretically. All RP papers are expected to provide insights with implications for policy or management.
Research Policy (RP) is a multidisciplinary journal focused on analyzing, understanding, and effectively addressing the challenges posed by innovation, technology, R&D, and science. This includes activities related to knowledge creation, diffusion, acquisition, and exploitation in the form of new or improved products, processes, or services, across economic, policy, management, organizational, and environmental dimensions.