Economic considerations in Citizen Science

Economic considerations receive surprisingly little attention amongst the Citizen Science research community. This, together with the apparently greater attention paid to “non-economic” factors (e.g., educational gains) may increase the number of CS projects to socially desirable levels.

Some reflections further to a preliminary inquiry into the subject in the CS Track project

Recently, while contributing to the preparation of one of CS Track project’s deliverables, I made a preliminary inquiry into economic concepts and considerations that should be deemed relevant in the context of Citizen Science (CS). As an economist, economic aspects and financial models are of particular interest to me and form, in my opinion, a significant element in an analysis of any sector.

Plunging into the research literature, I found that the following are concepts that, among others, deserve attention in this context: (Hover over the image).

Underlying all the above, though, there is another, maybe more fundamental question: what is the real weight of economic considerations in CS? This question started my thinking in several different directions about the extent to which attention is paid to the economic aspects of CS projects.

Indeed, behind these questions and reflections was my suspicion that the attention paid to economic factors in CS is not particularly high, in relative terms. It is important to keep in mind, however, that what follows are only initial reflections, not yet grounded on prior research. They should be taken as hypotheses to test in due time, which could potentially spark further ideas.

A first question worth asking is probably: in a standard CS project, how, when and to what degree do economic considerations emerge? To be sure, initiators do estimate costs and compare alternatives before launching and during CS projects, but those estimations and comparisons seem to be approached differently – and to produce different consequences – than in “normal” projects or similar endeavours. In fact, when a project is conceived as a CS project, what is the meaning of comparing its (foreseen) economic parameters with those of the same project conceived for a non-CS implementation? Can this be really done, i.e., does a CS project always have a non-CS equivalent? In a sense, it seems that the more a project is naturally suited^₁ for a CS realisation, the less pertinent economic considerations appear to be in the overall set of considerations that would eventually bring the project into being (or not) and determine its characteristics.

What do we mean here by “naturally suited” for CS? An example may clarify the point. Inspired by the account of a large CS project I read about in the Scientific American magazine_² dealing with tracking a total solar eclipse across the U.S. and learning about the sun, I thought of a characteristic that some “good” CS projects may share, namely, the presence of key aspects in the make-up or operation of the CS project that are not forced, or artificial, in character but inherently match the project and its theme. In the solar eclipse project, there were two aspects which, in my view, made it particularly suitable as a CS project. The first was the geographical spread of participating young citizen-scientists and the second was the way in which (common) amateur optical equipment and (ubiquitous) ICT were used. These aspects combined to serve the purposes of the activity. They also meant that participants were made to feel important in the process of creating new knowledge as real actors and beneficiaries of a truly collaborative enterprise. The identification of this characteristic in any project could be a success indicator, and it is likely that signs of interest, commitment, curiosity or initiative on the part of the participating citizen-scientists are hints to its presence.

We would, in a quite straightforward way, look for characteristics of this kind in any project that is (or is planned to be) a CS project. Yet, in a project like this, what role do we expect “economic considerations” could fulfill? Of course, the cost of the project would be estimated before its launch, and some decisions would be taken accordingly. But does it really matter if the cost of hiring scientists and flying/transporting them to, say, 5 or 10 different geographical locations along the eclipse’s path is higher or lower than recruiting hundreds of young volunteers living along the same path to observe the sun and communicate their findings to the other participants? Would the two alternative projects be really the same or reasonably comparable? It does not seem so.

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Conclusions

We should be ready to accept, then, that “good” CS projects, those that look to us as if the CS modality were the “natural” way to carry them out, do not make economic factors the most (or the only) central issue in their stories. Instead, other factors occupy, or share, their focal cores, such as the scientific significance of the project and the associated benefits to education and society. Questions like “are we saving costs if we run this project with citizen scientists?” often lose much of their meaning and power as decision factors particularly when “naturally CS” projects are considered.

To be sure, economic considerations do not vanish, and key decisions and important developments – e.g., feasibility, scalability and sustainability issues – will ultimately depend on them. But CS seems to be an area in which economic and non-economic considerations achieve a unique interplay, likely to carry the seed for more socially beneficial endeavours.