Dear Colleagues,
Our next virtual seminar in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy Research series is Wednesday, April 30, from 11:00-12:00 ET. Caroline Fry (University of Hawaii) - will present " Researcher Mobility and Local Problem Solving". Abstract is below. Click the link HERE to register for the April 30 seminar.
We hope you join us!
- Tim Folta (UCONN), Maryann Feldman (ASU), and Supradeep Dutta (Rutgers U)
Abstract: Mobile researchers have the potential to facilitate knowledge transfer and innovation targeting local challenges in the Global South. While prior research has largely examined South-North migration, this study investigates how South-South fellowships shape the research agendas of non-migrating scientists at home institutions. Specifically, we analyze the disease orientation of the non-migrant colleagues' research output before and after the fellowship. We document that non-migrants with a successful fellow in their organization publish more after the fellowship, and that, on average, their relative rate of publication in diseases that are highly prevalent in both their home country and the fellow's host country increases. However, we find a smaller observable increase in research on locally prevalent diseases among non-migrants ex- posed to fellows who travel to less similar Global South countries, including those with higher income levels and in different continents. Our findings highlight that mobile researchers can facilitate access to relevant knowledge and collaborations back at home, influencing the rate of research into local problems. They also reveal the importance of host destinations, suggesting that similarity between home and host countries shapes how international mobility shapes research on local challenges.