Victoria University | A New School of Thought

skip to content

The Economic Impact of Enhanced Access to Research Findings

Houghton, John and Sheehan, Peter (2006) The Economic Impact of Enhanced Access to Research Findings. CSES Working paper (No. 23). (Unpublished)

[img] PDF
Download (253Kb)

    Abstract

    The environment in which research is being conducted and disseminated is undergoing profound change, with new technologies offering new opportunities, changing research practices demanding new capabilities, and increased focus on research performance. A key question facing us today is, are there new opportunities and new models for scholarly communication that could enhance the dissemination of research findings and, thereby, increase the returns to investment in R&D? Identifying access and efficiency limitations under the subscription-based publishing model that has dominated scientific publishing, this paper explores the potential impacts of enhanced access to research outputs. We develop a modified growth model, introducing access and efficiency into calculating the returns to R&D. Indicative impact ranges are presented for gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) and government expenditure on R&D (GovERD) for all OECD countries. We conclude that there may be substantial benefits to be gained from increased access to research findings, and our preliminary estimates suggest that this may be fertile ground for further policy relevant inquiry.

    Item Type: Article
    Uncontrolled Keywords: Growth, Open Access, Productivity, Research and Development (R&D), Returns to R&D, Scholarly Communication, Scientific Publishing.
    Subjects: RFCD Classification > 340000 Economics
    RFCD Classification > 360000 Policy and Political Science
    Faculty/School/Research Centre/Department > Centre for Strategic Economic Studies (CSES)
    Depositing User: Prof John W Houghton
    Date Deposited: 17 Aug 2006
    Last Modified: 16 May 2012 05:16
    URI: http://vuir.vu.edu.au/id/eprint/472
    ePrint Statistics: View download statistics for this item

    Actions (repository staff login required)

    View Item

    Reporting copyright infringements & problems

    The Victoria University is committed to upholding the rights of copyright owners. If you believe that copyright material is available on the Victoria University network in such a way that it constitutes a copyright infringement or a breach of a contract or licence, please contact us.