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All Roads Lead to Excellence: A Comparative Scientometric Assessment of French and Dutch European Research Council Grant Winners’ Academic Performance in the Domain of Social Sciences and Humanities

Author

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  • Gergely Ferenc Lendvai

    (Doctoral School of Public Administration Sciences, Ludovika University of Public Service, 1083 Budapest, Hungary)

  • Petra Aczél

    (Management Campus, Széchenyi István University, 9026 Győr, Hungary)

  • Péter Sasvári

    (Doctoral School of Public Administration Sciences, Ludovika University of Public Service, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
    Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Informatics, Institute of Informatics, University of Miskolc, 3515 Miskolc, Hungary
    Faculty of Public Governance and International Studies, Ludovika University of Public Service, 1083 Budapest, Hungary)

Abstract

This study investigates how differing national research governance models impact academic performance by comparing European Research Council (ERC) grant winners in the social sciences and humanities from France and the Netherlands. Situated within the broader context of centralized versus decentralized research systems, the analysis aims to understand how these structures shape publication trends, thematic diversity, and collaboration patterns. Drawing on Scopus and SciVal data covering 9996 publications by 305 ERC winners between 2019 and 2023, we employed a multi-method approach, including latent Dirichlet allocation for topic modeling, compound annual growth rate analysis, and co-authorship network analysis. The results show that neuroscience, climate change, and psychology are dominant domains, with language and linguistics particularly prevalent in France and law and political science in the Netherlands. French ERC winners are more likely to be affiliated with national or sectoral institutions, whereas in the Netherlands, elite universities dominate. Collaboration emerged as a key success factor, with an average of four co-authors per publication and network analyses revealing central figures who bridge topical clusters. International collaborations were consistently linked with higher visibility, while single-authored publications showed limited impact. These findings suggest that institutional context and collaborative practices significantly shape research performance in both countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Gergely Ferenc Lendvai & Petra Aczél & Péter Sasvári, 2025. "All Roads Lead to Excellence: A Comparative Scientometric Assessment of French and Dutch European Research Council Grant Winners’ Academic Performance in the Domain of Social Sciences and Humanities," Publications, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-26, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jpubli:v:13:y:2025:i:3:p:34-:d:1708818
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    3. Corsini, Alberto & Pezzoni, Michele, 2023. "Does grant funding foster research impact? Evidence from France," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 17(4).
    4. Armando Albert & Begoña Granadino & Luis M. Plaza, 2007. "Scientific and technological performance evaluation of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in the field of Biotechnology," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 70(1), pages 41-51, January.
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