Scientistsmayportraythemselvesasnotbeingmotivatedbymoney,buttheyandtheinstitutionswheretheyworkrespondinspadestofinancialopportunities.Incentivesthatencouragepeopletomakeonedecisioninsteadofanotherformonetaryreasonsplayanimportantpartinscience.Thisisgoodnewsiftheincentivesareright.Butiftheyarenot,theycancauseconsiderabledamagetothescientificenterprise.Forinstance,cashincentivesadoptedbycountriessuchasChina,SouthKoreaandTurkeyencouragelocalscientiststosub-mitpaperstohigh-endjournalsdespitethelowprobabilityofsuccess.Thesepaymentshaveachievedlittlemorethanoverload-ingreviewers,takingthemawayfromtheirwork,andhaveincreasedsubmissionsbythethreecountriestothejournalScienceby46%inrecentyears,withnocorrespondingincreaseinthenumberofpublications1.Sadly,scienceisfullofincentivesgoneawry.LooknofurtherthanexpandingPhDprogrammesthatproducegraduateswithalmostnocareerprospects,orthegrowthoflabspacewithnoapparentincreaseinproductivity.Theeconomicrulesbehindsciencewerewrittenwithoutmuchconsiderationforunintendedconsequences,butsuchconsequencesaboundbecausepeopleandinstitutionsaresoresponsivetoincentives.Andinthecurrenteconomicclimate,noonecanaffordtowastetimeorresources.Inaworldoftightbudgets,gettingtheincentivesrightismoreimportantthanever.BADDIRECTIONSConsiderthefinancialcalculationsthatencourageuniversitiestohireaseriesofpostdocsratherthanstaffscientists.Postdocsearnaroundhalftotwo-thirdsofastaffsci-entist’ssalary.Theyareyoung,havefreshper-spectivesandnewideasandaretemporary,socanbeletgowhenbudgetsdecline2.But,inreality,postdocsarenotcheap:substantialresources—boththeirownandsociety’s—havebeeninvestedintrainingthem.Ifapostdocdoesn’tgetaresearchjob,taxpayersdonotgetareturnontheirinvest-ment.Neitherdoesthepostdoc:someonewhodidnotgotograduateschoolandenteredthelabourmarketin2001wasearn-ingaboutUS$58,000in2008;afirst-yearpostdocwhostartedgraduateschoolintheUnitedStates