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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Federal support(?) of science
Message-ID: <1589@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Jun-85 13:53:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.1589
Posted: Sat Jun 22 13:53:20 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Jun-85 16:08:57 EDT
Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 35
Summary: 

References:


In this morning's Globe and Mail, Eric Nielsen is reported as saying
he is looking for any places he can reduce Federal support to Science.
In opposition, the Conservatives recognized and spoke much about the
need for increased research if Canada's economy was to improve over
the long term.  I spoke to one Conservative MP (Belleville area), who
was most concerned over the low levels of science support provided
by the Liberals.  He said even then that a major Conservative
thrust was to improve science funding.
       The place of research as the chief engine of the
economy has not changed.  All that has changed is the name of the
party in power.  Conservatives seem to have forgotten what they "deeply"
believed, now they have the opportunity to really do something for
the Canadian economy.  Or was it all just rhetoric -- the Liberals
are underfunding science, so we must argue for more funding .... Oh,
now we are in power, we don't have to argue against Liberal policies
any more; we can just do the same, only worse.?

A long time ago, there was an article in Nature showing a high lagged
correlation between spending on research and economic growth.  The growth
rate had a coefficient of variation of about 0.5 with the spending on
research 5 years previously (i.e. about half of everything that affects
the economy is prior research spending, and fiscal policy, tax measures,
and so forth can affect only the other half).  Subsequent articles in
various general science journals (e.g. Science, Nature) have continued
support this in principle (I don't read Economics journals, so I don't know
whether they address the question).

If the Conservatives care about the economy, why are they keen to cut
spending on science?
-- 

Martin Taylor
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