Global excellence at the expense of local diffusion, or a bridge between two worlds? Research in science and technology in the developing world

摘要

Do world-leading researchers from developing countries contribute to upgrading locally, or do theydisengage from the local context? The paper investigates the scientific collaborations of university-basedscience and technology researchers in the database of the South African National Research Foundation(NRF), and analyses the co-authorships of researchers who were ranked by the NRF during the 2001–2007period. To establish the extent to which a researcher can access knowledge outside the South Africanacademic science and technology research community, and share it inside that community, we developa measure of ‘gatekeeping’. The evidence suggests that there is not a local/global trade-off in knowledgecreation in academia in the developing world, and that the world-leading researchers in developingcountries may play an especially important role as conduits of new knowledge in their country