Given the recent re-evaluation of research funding policy as an issue central to national governments and the EU, it is imperative that underlying rationales and channels for investment in research and development are examined. A pioneering analysis of the complexity, allocation and management of public funding of research, this Handbook explores the strategies whereby research can be successfully targeted and supported to resolve problems of broad public concern.

Used effectively, the Handbook finds, research has the potential to support economic growth, create jobs, enhance social welfare, protect the environment and expand the frontiers of human knowledge. Taking a multi-level approach, chapters strategize ways to address various funding objectives through analysis of policy design, policy instruments, research organizations and researchers, while remedying disparities resulting from the distribution of research funds. The Handbook’s expansive scope, which covers variation in goals and instrument management over time and across countries, facilitates an approach that not only scrutinizes existing paradigms of public research funding but also looks to the future.



With authoritative analysis and theoretical frameworks by leading scholars, the Handbook employs an interdisciplinary approach that combines sociology of sciences, political sciences and economics. It will prove a useful resource for scholars and researchers in science policy studies, alongside policy analysts in ministries and research funding organizations seeking to better understand their working environment.