Changes of scientific knowledge production and research productivity in a transitional society

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to provide an empirical insight into the changes in the basic characteristics of the knowledge production mode and of scientific productivity in the Croatian research system in the transitional period. Empirical analysis is based on the results of two comparable questionnaire studies. The first survey was conducted in 1990 and the sample covered 921 respondents, while the second survey was conducted in 2004 with a sample of 915 respondents. The central characteristics of the knowledge production mode and of productivity confirm an expected duality: the features that accompany the introduction of a competitive system of research funding and evaluation on the one hand, and the anachronistic and newly acquired peculiarity of the research system on the other. Thus, the gap between the improved scientific performance of the researchers and the conditions in which they work has deepened. Scientific productivity still lags behind the productivity of the (developed) countries. Though Croatian researchers publish less, they follow basic global trends in the structure of publications, especially the rise in foreign and co-authored works.

Knowledge production through collaborative research in sub-Saharan Africa: how much do countries contribute to each other’s knowledge output and citation impact?

“…The study on ''The geography of collaborative knowledge production in Europe'' by Hoekman et al (2009) investigated inter-regional research collaboration as measured by scientific publications and patents with multiple addresses. Other studies that have used publications as indicators of knowledge production in a given country include Hayashi and Fujigaki (1999), Heinze and Kuhlmann (2008), Jansen et al (2010), Prpic (2007), and Ranga et al (2003).…”

Scientific Productivity in Transition Countries: Trends and Obstacles

“…During the same period, the Croatian share in the total contents of the Web of Science rises, although it is still at the very low level, ranging from 0,10 % in 1996 to 0,25 % in 2011. Such increase is probably the result of a Croatian promotion system where scientists from the fields other than social and human sciences are obliged to publish in journals with an impact factor [4]. Our research has also some limitations.…”

“…Funding for the scientific research in most of the countries decreased, which resulted also in decrease of scientific publications [4]. In the following analysis we shall concentrate on the trends in the fall in productivity.…”

“…Legislation that defines the criteria for professional promotion has a direct impact on the productivity of scientists [4], but it can be both positive and negative. For example, publishing in international journals with higher impact factor is currently strongly encouraged in Croatia [2].…”

“…The transition has, aside from the economy and politics, engulfed other social spheres such as science and research. Transformation of research (in general) in transition resulted in a reduction of institutional and financial resources of science, resulting with general backwardness in scientific and technological development [4], thus making the path to becoming a "knowledge society" significantly more difficult [5]. The transformation of the research systems also affected scientific productivity: in most countries, especially in the first few years of transition, a decline in the quantity and quality of scientific papers occurred.…”