Title: The societal costs of research misconduct: some method considerations from the DEFORM Project

Authors: Caroline Gans Combe; Sylvie Faucheux; Catherine Kuszla

Addresses: INSEEC U, 43 Quai de Grenelle, 75015 Paris, France ' IFG Executive Education, INSEEC U, 43 Quai de Grenelle, 75015 Paris, France ' Université Paris Nanterre, 200 Avenue de la République, 92000 Nanterre, France

Abstract: While research misconduct (RM) and non-responsible innovation (NRI) engage distinct considerations of integrity and responsibility, we can link them with a broad vision of values for science in society. We present a novel econometric approach, developed in the European DEFORM Project, for estimation of the incidence and direct social costs of research misconduct by analysing RM as occupational fraud. This is applied to publicly funded research in Europe, to obtain empirical estimates of the order of magnitude of financial losses to research investors due to projects tainted by RM. Turning to the societal context, notably the incitation to fraud afforded by commercial and institutional performance pressures, we discuss the example of direct and indirect social costs of RM in the 'Dieselgate' scandal. We thus situate social costs of RM as one facet of quality assurance and governance of research activity and of the uses of science in society.

Keywords: DEFORM; Dieselgate; integrity; KQA; occupational fraud; social costs; research misconduct.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2020.115210

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2020 Vol.23 No.3/4, pp.175 - 204

Received: 26 Sep 2020
Accepted: 26 Sep 2020
Published online: 24 May 2021 *

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