(NAS Colloquium) Science, Technology and the Economy (1996) / Chapter Skim
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The future of the national laboratories
The future of the national laboratories
Pages 24-31
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From page 24... ...
We review the economic efficiency arguments for intramural research and the political conditions that are likely to constrain the activities of the laboratories, and ,0000 00 analyze the early history of programs intended to promote new technology via cooperative agreements between the laborato ries and private industry. Our analysis suggests that the laboratories are likely to shrink considerably in size, and that the federal government faces a significant problem in deciding how to organize a downsizing of the federal research estab lishment.
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From page 25... ...
Whereas the original Stevenson-Wydler Act had few teeth, it ushered in a decade of legislative activity designed to expand laboratory activities in promoting private technology development. The primary in Table 2.
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From page 26... ...
This paper seeks to analyze the potential role of the laboratories, with particular attention to the possibility, on the one hand, of integrating private technology development into the laboratory's menu of activities and, on the other hand, of outsourcing traditional mission activities. The next section reviews the economic efficiency arguments for intramural research and the political conditions that are likely to constrain the activities of the laboratories.
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From page 27... ...
Thus, it is not surprising that the public sector has national laboratories: research organizations that are dedicated to the mission of the supporting agency, even if organizationally separated, over which the agency can exercise strong managerial control. Indeed, a primary rationale in the initial organization of the national laboratories that were established during the second world war and shortly thereafter was to avoid the complexities of contractual relationships that would be necessary were the activities to be performed by the private sector.§ Table 3 shows the distribution by character of R&D supported by industry, by government through intramural programs, and by government through extramural programs.
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From page 28... ...
Quantitatively, however, the last effect is sufficiently small so that an exogenous shock that increases procurement has a net positive effect on civilian R&D as well as defense R&D. Logically, the system works as follows: if defense procurement becomes more attractive, it causes a small reduction in civilian R&D and a large increase in defense R&D; however, due to the combination of political and economic complementarities between defense R&D and civilian R&D, the increase in defense R&D leads to an increase in civilian R&D that more than offsets the initial reduction.
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From page 29... ...
In the past, some projects created especially valuable property rights, which were conferred on private partners. As a result, some firms enjoyed apparently exorbitant profits, and direct competitors were excluded from what could be presented as a government-sponsored windfall two conditions that created political firestorms.
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From page 30... ...
Given the nature of R&D, potential candidates are likely to arise. The historical record of responses in government procurement suggests that the likely response will be for the government to institute much more elaborate cost accounting and oversight, the traditional baggage of procurement policies that CRADA legislation sought to avoid.
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From page 31... ...
10. NASA Federal Laboratory Review Task Force, NASA Advisory Council (1995)
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