How Economics Shapes Science
Stephan, Paula
ISBN 10: 0674049713 ISBN 13: 9780674049710
Published by Harvard University Press, 2015
Used
Hardcover
From
Goodwill Books, Hillsboro, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Heritage Bookseller
AbeBooks member since 1996
This specific item is no longer available.
About this Item
Description:
Minimal signs of wear. Seller Inventory # GICWV.0674049713.VG
Synopsis:
The beauty of science may be pure and eternal, but the practice of science costs money. And scientists, being human, respond to incentives and costs, in money and glory. Choosing a research topic, deciding what papers to write and where to publish them, sticking with a familiar area or going into something new―the payoff may be tenure or a job at a highly ranked university or a prestigious award or a bump in salary. The risk may be not getting any of that.
At a time when science is seen as an engine of economic growth, Paula Stephan brings a keen understanding of the ongoing cost-benefit calculations made by individuals and institutions as they compete for resources and reputation. She shows how universities offload risks by increasing the percentage of non-tenure-track faculty, requiring tenured faculty to pay salaries from outside grants, and staffing labs with foreign workers on temporary visas. With funding tight, investigators pursue safe projects rather than less fundable ones with uncertain but potentially path-breaking outcomes. Career prospects in science are increasingly dismal for the young because of ever-lengthening apprenticeships, scarcity of permanent academic positions, and the difficulty of getting funded.
Vivid, thorough, and bold, How Economics Shapes Science highlights the growing gap between the haves and have-nots―especially the vast imbalance between the biomedical sciences and physics/engineering―and offers a persuasive vision of a more productive, more creative research system that would lead and benefit the world.
About the Author: Paula Stephan is Professor of Economics at Georgia State University and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She has served on the Board on Higher Education and Workforce at the NRC, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Council, and the Social, Behavioral, and Economics Advisory Committee at the NSF.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Bibliographic Details
Title: How Economics Shapes Science
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Publication Date: 2015
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: very_good