When politics meets science

How principal investigators’ political identity shapes knowledge co-creation in publicly-funded research

Bibliographic Data

ID17600339
AuthorsJinping Xiao (0009-0007-9166-1072, Chongqing University, corresponding author), Wen Liu (0000-0001-7686-5527, Chongqing Technology and Business University), Wei Liu (0000-0002-5949-0302, Chongqing University)
Year2026
Publication date2026-03-26
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience and Public Policy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0302-3427 • E-ISSN: 1471-5430
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/scipol/scag036
OpenAlexW7160148201
LanguageEN
References cited64

Public funding may not be the ‘freest form of support’, often carrying political expectations. This tension is pronounced under a direct governance model where principal investigators (PIs) hold dual scientific and political roles. Drawing on causation theory, this paper argues that the dual accountability that political PIs face makes causation their dominant decision logic, driving a preference for predictable and visible outcomes to satisfy policy demands, expanding the topical dispersion of research while limiting the deep exploration. Analysis of 155 collaborative projects from China’s National Key R&D Programmes confirms that political PIs promote the breadth of knowledge co-creation but limits its depth. A longer research career reduces the positive impact on breadth and mitigates the negative impact on depth. This study clarifies a key cognitive mechanism: causation driven by political accountability, explaining how the overlap of scientific and political roles systematically influences the structure of knowledge co-creation in publicly-funded agendas

Accountability · Causation · Corporate governance · Politics · Preference · Innovation Policy and RD · Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development · Mental Health and Patient Involvement

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