Just wondering-- were you serious? I would wager just as much, but fewer publications of higher quality.
Yes I am. UW-Madison is one of the top ten or fifteen research universities in the country. They attract hundreds of millions of dollars in reasearch grants from government and industry. There was nothing comparable 50 years ago. And that, in turn, attracts faculty and grad students who want to do that research. Reduce the amount of time they are allowed to do it and they'll go elsewhere. And take that grant money with them.