Administrative Allocations as Strategic Responses to Resource Dependence in U.S. Research Universities

Grounded in Resource Dependence Theory, this conceptual research examines how U.S. research universities allocate research administration staffing as a strategic response to dependence on volatile federal funding. It proposes a model in which grant writing capacity, internal compliance training and professional development link administrative staffing allocations to institutional grantsmanship outcomes, with university governance type as a contextual condition. A quantitative design integrating archival and institution-level survey data is proposed; data collection has not yet begun, and the work is intended as a template to guide leadership decisions on research administration under constrained funding conditions.