The Ransdell Act marked the point at which scientists began to shift their long-held philosophy about government funding for science. As the Great Depression of the 1930s further eroded private funding for science, the scientific community came to believe that government "control" of science could be forestalled and scientists could remain self-reliant if the scientists themselves decided which projects to fund. The concept of peer review of proposals emerged as the product of this philosophical shift. Scientists also came to believe that the control that government did exercise over research could be funneled toward regulation of the scientific enterprise. Making sure that all citizens had equal access to propose projects and providing oversight of research ethics were two examples.