As I understand this system the factories, social, and research facilities production is adjusted from a total basket measured in bc's.  In essence instead of your factories turning out new buildings and/or ships it's production can be converted to research and vice versa.  Hence, if you need to crunch through some research divert a larger portion of this combined basket to research.  The overall all effect on bc's shows up indirectly as a consequence of where on the slider the indicators are located.  Towards the left or right.

This allows you to spend down a large bc balance when needed to fund a production or research push.  Or, rebuild account balances by "selling off" more of your economy's production for bc's instead of consuming it.  Your suggestion wouldn't allow a means of spending down account balances to speed up research or social spending.