Agenda

Hyejin Ku (UCL)

The Rise of China and the Global Production of Scientific Knowledge

Abstract: China’s rapid ascent as an economic superpower in recent decades and its consequences on workers and firms in other countries have received much attention in the literature. What is less known, however, is the sudden rise of China as a global powerhouse in science and technology, with implications for many countries outside China including their higher education and research policies as well as the long-term competitiveness of their economies. To make progress on this debate, we study the causal effects of China’s growing capacity in scientific research on the research productivity at world’s top research universities, based on a novel research design and making use of comprehensive bibliometric data for 1996-2016. We report interesting heterogeneity by research fields (e.g. mathematics vs. engineering) in the net spillover effects from China and explore possible channels including competition, collaboration and knowledge spillover.