Interestingly, this futility objection is almost never raised when a policymaker proposes to increase funding to some area of research, even though the argument would seem to cut both ways. One rarely hears indignant voices protest: “Please do not increase our funding. Rather, make some cuts. Researchers in other countries will surely pick up the slack; the same work will get done anyway. Don’t squander the public’s treasure on domestic scientific research!”
Funding and tech
