I meant to help you move from far-mode “I’m drawn generally to it” to near-mode “what should I do specifically”. Ideally, you’d examine WHAT draws you to the topic, and what metrics or indicators would show that some funding targets have impact on those dimensions.
In fact, that is what “cost-effective” means, but “effect” is the difficult part to identify. If it turns out that nobody has an impact that you can see, then you’re probably best off picking another topic. If it turns out that some have impact, in ways that convince you even if it’s not particularly quantitative, then that’s cost-effective enough.
I meant to help you move from far-mode “I’m drawn generally to it” to near-mode “what should I do specifically”. Ideally, you’d examine WHAT draws you to the topic, and what metrics or indicators would show that some funding targets have impact on those dimensions.
In fact, that is what “cost-effective” means, but “effect” is the difficult part to identify. If it turns out that nobody has an impact that you can see, then you’re probably best off picking another topic. If it turns out that some have impact, in ways that convince you even if it’s not particularly quantitative, then that’s cost-effective enough.