Abstract:
The August 15th 2013 Shanghai Academic Rankings of World Universities (ARWU) should leave policy makers wondering about whether the impressive growth experienced by 'latecomers in the industry' has moved hand-in-hand with contribution to knowledge by means of scientific publications. Against this background, we model the obituary of scientific knowledge monopoly in 99 countries using 21 catch-up panels from 6 regions (South Asia, Europe & Central Asia, East Asia & the Pacific, Middle East & North Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean and, Sub-Saharan Africa). The findings broadly show that the obituary of scientific knowledge monopoly by developed countries is not in the near-horizon. Advanced nations that have mastered the dynamics of knowledge monopoly will continue to lead the course of knowledge economy. Justifications for the patterns and policy implications are discussed.