"Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities, and a free press—are the backbone of democratic life." Why are universities part of this set backbone items?
I think they do matter from the p.o.v. of the people footing the bill for the results. I have yet to work on a product/project where mgt doesn't care about when it gets done and how much it will cost. Call it productivity, call it velocity, but the people paying care and someone always pays.