In [a paper published in the *American Sociological Reveiw,*](http://blog.newsok.com/health/files/2012/09/ASR_October2012_Best_Study.pdf) Rachel Best reports that advocacy groups lobbying Washington have been effective in increasing federal funding, especially from NIH, for specific diseases. Best also found that research funding distributions affected funding that trickled down to the practice of science as well.

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