Figure 23 



Federal Obligations for Basic Research, 

 by Supporting Agency, FY 1960-72 



Current dollars 



(Millions of Dollars) 



■66 '68 



Fiscal years 

 (a) GNP price deflator was used to convert current to constant dollars 

 SOURCE National Science Foundation 



70 



72 

 (est-) 



Constant 1958 dollars' 



(Millions of Dollars) 

 800 



700 



600 



NASA 



1960 62 64 66 



Fiscal years 



70 72 



(est.) 



prior to 1964 are not available.) The 10 fields 

 represented in figure 24 form three groupings in 

 respect to the relative growth of expenditures 

 betvk'een 1964-72: fields recording the largest 

 growth were the social sciences, environmental 

 sciences, and psychology; fields with an inter- 

 mediate level of growth were biological sciences, 

 mathematical and computer sciences, engi- 

 neering, and clinical medicine; and those with 

 the smallest growth were chemistry, astronomy, 

 and physics. 



Current dollar expenditures for all fields — ex- 

 cept mathematical and computer sciences — in- 

 creased from 1970 to 1972. In constant 1961 



dollars, however, expenditures for 1972 de- 

 clined or remained essentially unchanged from 

 their 1970 level in physics, chemistry, 

 astronomy, and engineering as well as in the 

 mathematical and computer sciences. The de- 

 clines were due principally to reductions in 

 Federal expenditures for basic research, as 

 shown in figure 25. Current dollar expendi- 

 tures by the Federal Government increased 

 between 1970-72 for all fields except physics and 

 the mathematical and computer sciences. In 

 terms of constant dollars, however, 1972 Federal 

 expenditures were lower than 1970 expendi- 

 tures in 6 of the 10 fields, with the largest reduc- 



37 



