Which distance dimensions matter in international research collaboration? A cross-country analysis by scientific domain

The relevance of international research collaboration (IRC) in bolstering intellectual capital, in-creasing embeddedness in networks, and promoting innovation has been acknowledged by sci-entists and policymakers. However, large-scale studies involving different scientific domains and periods aimed at exploring the factors that influence IRC are missing, which could deepen our understanding of the factors affecting IRC. Based on a novel dataset of 193 countries over three periods, 1990-1999, 2000-2009 and 2010-2018, we have examined the impact of geographical, socioeconomic, political, cultural, intellectual, and excellence distances on the propensity to engage in IRC at the global level, by scientific domain and over time. In general, all the distances considered obstruct IRC, with geographical and cultural distance emerging as the barriers with the highest impact. Two exceptions are worthwhile noting: excel-lence distance fosters IRC in the Medical & Health Sciences (MHS) and intellectual distance fosters IRC in the Agricultural Sciences (AS). At the global level, the negative impact of socioeconomic, political, and intellectual distances on IRC has increased over time, whereas the negative impact of geographical and cultural dis-tances has decreased.

Automated summary

The importance of international research collaboration (IRC) in enhancing intellectual capital, increasing network embeddedness, and promoting innovation has been recognized. However, there is a lack of large-scale studies exploring the factors influencing IRC across different scientific domains and time periods. This study examines the impact of various distances, including geographical, socioeconomic, political, cultural, intellectual, and excellence distances, on the propensity to engage in IRC at the global level, within specific scientific domains, and over time. Overall, geographical and cultural distances are identified as the major barriers to IRC, with exceptions found in the Medical & Health Sciences and Agricultural Sciences domains. Socioeconomic, political, and intellectual distances have shown an increasing negative impact on IRC over time, while the negative impact of geographical and cultural distances has decreased.