I don't know. I've been around academics for awhile now and really tried to get a good answer to this and I still don't know. If anything I don't think it's alw

I don't know. I've been around academics for awhile now and really tried to get a good answer to this and I still don't know. If anything I don't think it's always been like this. There's a variety of indicators suggesting that something changed in the mid90s to about 2000 with academics (grant success rates, publications, etc). When I talk to much more senior colleagues, I also get the sense something changed even if they describe it in different terms. Was everything better before? No, I think many things are better now, but it feels like the fundamentals of the system are worse. To me it feels like being in a house that's been remodeled with a new roof and HVAC system, but where the ground is sinking and foundation is in the process of collapsing.