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arXiv · 2606.18549

Co-evolution of the global research collaboration network and the performance of nations in science and technology

Travis A. Whetsell·Jeongyoon Jane Yang
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Abstract

Researchers have long suspected that international research collaboration (IRC) and scientific and technological (S&T) performance are subject to reciprocal causality, yet the endogenous co-evolution of these twin phenomena has yet to be tested by large-scale empirical analysis. This study tests these effects simultaneously using a longitudinal co-evolution model on three decades of global network and national performance data. Stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOM) are used to analyze data on 172 countries from 1993 to 2022. Yearly IRC networks are constructed from Web of Science's XML database, and performance data are gathered from Elsevier's fractional field-weighted citation impact (FWCI). The models also account for geographic, economic, demographic, and political factors, as well as endogenous network processes. The results provide support for co-evolution. Distance and shared language moderate this relationship in contrasting ways. The selection effect of performance on tie formation is amplified across distance and dampened by a shared language, whereas the influence effect of performance on centrality is attenuated by remoteness and strengthened by linguistic reach. This pattern suggests that information asymmetry shapes partner selection, while communication and coordination shape the returns to collaboration, pointing to a signaling role for citation-based performance metrics in collaborator selection.

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Travis A. Whetsell, Jeongyoon Jane Yang. 2026-06-16. Co-evolution of the global research collaboration network and the performance of nations in science and technology. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.18549

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