Beamtimes and knowledge production times: how big-science research infrastructures shape nations’ domestic and international science production

Xiyi Yang, Xiaoyu Zhou, Cong Cao

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Frontier scientific discoveries increasingly rely on big-science research infrastructures, such as supercolliders, synchrotron light sources, and space telescopes, whose construction and operation involve intensive international collaboration. This collaborative nature, however, presents a challenge in balancing national interests with the common good, particularly given the substantial fiscal investments involved. This study investigates the effects of one of China’s prominent big-science infrastructures, the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), on the country’s production of science, differentiating between national and international scientific endeavors. Employing a rigorous difference-in-differences (DID) methodology, it evaluates SSRF’s effects on discipline-level production of publications by domestic researchers and those involving international collaboration. The empirical findings reveal compelling evidence that SSRF has significantly enhanced the production of high-impact national and international publications for disciplines reliant on the facility for experiments, particularly increasing the percentage of high-impact national publications. The findings also underscore the dual role of big-science infrastructures in fostering international research collaboration while simultaneously enhancing nations’ domestic scientific development and competitiveness. Additionally, the study provides valuable insights for research assessment and science policy discussions.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1462
JournalHumanities and Social Sciences Communications
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Business,Management and Accounting
  • General Arts and Humanities
  • General Social Sciences
  • General Psychology
  • General Economics,Econometrics and Finance

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