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Is the research performance of Chinese returnees better than that of their local counterparts?

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  • Jingyi Zhao

    (Nanjing University)

  • Chunli Wei

    (Nanjing University)

  • Jiang Li

    (Nanjing University)

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the Chinese government has issued several policies to attract overseas elites to return to China and has given them privileges in academic resource allocation. This particular treatment has provoked complaints from domestic scientists who have received no additional resources. Therefore, the research performance of returnees and their local counterparts has been widely debated. We selected 4,770 returnees and their local counterparts in the same departments of the same institutions in the same year from 1984 to 2017, and compared their research performance using regression analysis. The results show that returnees have no significant advantage in publishing more papers or first-tier journal papers, but more returnees are corresponding authors in Natural Sciences. In addition, in Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences, returnees still have an advantage in publishing more papers and in more first-tier journal papers. This study has implications for the employment policies of Chinese universities/research institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Jingyi Zhao & Chunli Wei & Jiang Li, 2023. "Is the research performance of Chinese returnees better than that of their local counterparts?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(5), pages 3091-3105, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:128:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1007_s11192-023-04693-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-023-04693-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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