The making of research funding in Austria: transition politics and institutional development, 1945-2005

In many cases, the long-term development patterns of research policy still remain blurred. However, historical insights may lead to a better understanding of what makes research funding work. A perspective of 60 years on the situation in Austria exemplifies a system run by a broad set of stakeholders. Consensus among those stakeholders is necessary for the implementation of new elements. Once agreed upon, such elements remain stable for a long time as any change requires a new consensus. Thus individual stakeholders tend to add bypass solutions, while existing principal–agent relationships develop lock-ins. The system needs sufficient pressure to be built up by those factors in order to trigger substantial change.