Optimal Culpability in Research Teams
Author: Zacharias Maniadis
Paper number: 2406
Recent scandals in science have brought attention to the problem of detecting fraud and
attributing punishment in the context of increasingly large research teams. We examine the
problem theoretically and consider the socially optimal scheme for assigning culpability. We
consider the simplest possible environment with two scientists, only one of whom is capable
of committing fraud. Our theoretical analysis shows that a regime of group accountability
that incentivises researchers to monitor other members of the group achieves the best social
outcomes. Given this regime, the model yields the counter-intuitive prescription that pun-
ishing non-culpable members of the team for participating in a fraudulent project is the most
promising tool for increasing the fraction of research that is honest.