In a desperate attempt to be relevant given the US Election, Tom and Stuart dedicate this episode of The Studies Show to talking about government investment in science. How bad is it if politicians cut the science budget? Exactly how much do you get back for every pound or dollar spent on science—and how is that even calculated in the first place?

The Studies Show is brought to you by Works in Progress magazine—a journal of science, history, and technology that discusses the secrets behind human progress. You can read their published essays at worksinprogress.co, or their shorter pieces on their Substack at worksinprogress.news.

Show notes

* Nature’s editorial: “The world needs a President who respects evidence”

* Trump’s science budget cuts: NIH/EPA, CDC

* Nature’s editorial on the “surge in far-right parties” in Europe cutting the science budget

* Tom’s 2015 BuzzFeed News article on science budget cuts in the UK

* Article on Argentinian science budget cuts under Javier Milei

* Andre Geim and Nancy Rothwell’s 2024 Guardian article on how £1 of science funding gets you £12 back

* Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake’s book, Capitalism Without Capital

* Haskel’s 2014 paper finding a £4 return on investment for every £1 spent on science

* 2024 UK National Centre for Universities and Business report finding that £1 of science investment leads to £3-4 of private investment

Credits

The Studies Show is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions. We’re grateful to Jonathan Haskel for talking to us for this episode; as always, any mistakes are our own.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thestudiesshowpod.com/subscribe

Episode 55: Government science funding

Science Fictions