Political Instability Freezes Science: Evidence from a Government Shutdown

Abstract

We examine the impact of political instability on scientific output. To do so, we analyze the 2013 U.S. federal government shutdown’s impact on on federally funded research in Antarctica. Leveraging a novel dataset with a difference-in-differences design and exploiting the timing of the decision, we document an 11% decline in the number of publications among affected researchers, as well as altered collaboration patterns, which we corroborate with qualitative survey evidence. Together, the results suggest that even brief episodes of short-lived political instability can have enduring deleterious effects on science.

Keywords: Science, Innovation, Politics, Instability, Antarctica, Government Shutdown