What Gets Funded Depends on How Intent Is Translated: Translation Dynamics in Funding Systems (ERC, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Gates Foundation)

Robin Edgard Ulrik Mertens

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This paper examines how institutional intent is translated into selection criteria and allocation rules in major funding systems, including the European Research Council, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the Gates Foundation. Using a rule-based and replicable method, it traces how concepts such as excellence and impact become decision-relevant representations that structure evaluation and selection. The analysis shows that resource allocation operates on these representations rather than on stated intent, shaping what can be recognised, compared, and funded. The paper contributes a framework for analysing how selection mechanisms transform intent in institutional funding processes.

Keywords: resource allocation; funding systems; selection criteria; incentives; evaluation; institutional decision-making; information asymmetry; governance; public policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D02 D23 H11 H83 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03-26
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