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Is Lottery a Better Way of Resource Distribution Than Baseline Funding?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2023

Takahiro Sakamoto Open the ORCID record for Takahiro Sakamoto [Opens in a new window]
Takahiro Sakamoto*
Affiliation:
Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Japan
*
Email: sakamoto_takahiro@nig.ac.jp
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Abstract

Recently, several funding agencies have introduced the distribution of funds by a lottery system; however, the effects of this system on the productivity of the research community are unclear. Simulation studies in philosophy of science have argued that a combination of peer review and lottery is an optimal method. However, these models overlook several important aspects of research activities, such as baseline funding through block grants. In this article, I present a general theoretical model that incorporates these aspects and argue that the conventional combination of peer review and baseline funding outperforms the combination of peer review and lottery in many situations.

Type
Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 90 , Issue 3 , July 2023 , pp. 603 - 628
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Philosophy of Science Association

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