The current system lies on the market of ideas - ie if you publish rubbish a competitor lab will call you out. ie it's not the same as the two people in an aircraft cabin - in the research world that plane crashing is all part of the market adjustment - weeding out bad pilots/academics.
However it doesn't work all the time for the same reasons that markets don't work all the time - the tendency for people to choose to create cosy cartels to avoid that harsh competition.
In academia this is created around grants either directly ( are you inside the circle? ) or indirectly - the idea obviously won't work as the 'true' cause is X.
Not sure you can fully avoid this - but I'm sure their might be ways to improve it around the edges.
However it doesn't work all the time for the same reasons that markets don't work all the time - the tendency for people to choose to create cosy cartels to avoid that harsh competition.
In academia this is created around grants either directly ( are you inside the circle? ) or indirectly - the idea obviously won't work as the 'true' cause is X.
Not sure you can fully avoid this - but I'm sure their might be ways to improve it around the edges.