A Complexity Approach to Evaluating National Scientific Systems through International Scientific Collaborations

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to contribute to a fuller understanding of how international scientific collaboration has affected national scientific systems. It does this by developing three methodological approaches grounded in social complexity theory and applying them to the evaluation of national scientific systems. The first methodology identifies the global core-periphery structure of science at the scientific disciplinary level. The second methodology creates a multitheoretic, multilevel model for studying the evolution of international collaborations. The third methodology develops a framework that relies on identifying scientific topics with a lack of international collaboration to identify areas in which a country has emerging capabilities that may give it an advantage in the global arena. Each of these methodologies are applied to a variety of case studies and can be used in conjunction to obtain a fuller understanding that could aid the governance and management of national and international investments in science.