There’s a section in my paper about the study of the (in)effectiveness of application-oriented research vs. basic research, and the trend over the past 50 years to shift almost completely to application-oriented research (where goals are ultimately set, or at least approved, by Congress) despite all the literature showing that it’s a waste of money. In my opinion, the problem isn’t that managers aren’t telling scientists what research to do; it’s that they are.
There’s a section in my paper about the study of the (in)effectiveness of application-oriented research vs. basic research, and the trend over the past 50 years to shift almost completely to application-oriented research (where goals are ultimately set, or at least approved, by Congress) despite all the literature showing that it’s a waste of money. In my opinion, the problem isn’t that managers aren’t telling scientists what research to do; it’s that they are.