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Scientific Competition between Countries: Did China Get What It Paid for?

Author

Listed:
  • Pierre Courtioux

    (EDHEC Business School et Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne)

  • François Métivier

    (Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris)

  • Antoine Rebérioux

    (Université de Paris, Ladyss)

Abstract

This paper examines the rise of China's relative standing in the global academic science marketplace. We first develop a simple theoretical model, based on the aggregation of individual knowledge production functions. This model predicts the existence of a stable power (scaling) law, relating the world share of countries' scientific production to their world share of public investment in scientific research. We test and confirm this prediction, using bibliometric cross-country longitudinal data for OECD and non-OECD countries, over the 1996-2015 period. This analysis allows for China's impressive catch-up, and for the West's decline to be accounted for, in the science marketplace, over the last two decades

Suggested Citation

  • Pierre Courtioux & François Métivier & Antoine Rebérioux, 2019. "Scientific Competition between Countries: Did China Get What It Paid for?," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 19013, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    • Handle: RePEc:mse:cesdoc:19013
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    2. Jesús Cebrino & Silvia Portero de la Cruz, 2020. "A worldwide bibliometric analysis of published literature on workplace violence in healthcare personnel," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, November.
    3. Camil Demetrescu & Irene Finocchi & Andrea Ribichini & Marco Schaerf, 2022. "On computer science research and its temporal evolution," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(8), pages 4913-4938, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    economics of science; knowledge production function; internal ranking;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • P5 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems

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