Call for small island states to adjust research policy

The research policies of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) need to be reassessed in order to support the production of industrially relevant research that more directly addresses socio-economic challenges and developmental priorities, according to a new study.

Titled “Academic publishing in Small Island Developing States: Does university research support development?”, the study published in Higher Education Policy this month found that an analysis of the 327 narrow Scopus fields of 167,080 journal articles published by 38 SIDS between 2010 and 2019 focused on sustainability related research, public health, infectious diseases, and species diversity rather than industrially relevant research.

The analysis found that only four states (Palau, Maldives, Singapore and Tonga) had a main publication field reflecting a core economic activity.

“While academic research on sustainability is welcome, the lack of evidence of research support for national economic activities is concerning,” the study notes.

Unique factors

According to the study, research patterns in island nations may be “due to historical education policies and the path-dependent model of development adopted by many SIDS”.

“Most SIDS have a lower level of accumulated capital and a narrower resource base and, consequently, less research funding compared to industrialised nations,” the paper notes.

“The insularity and remoteness of many SIDS also hinder international research collaboration, which is valued and often mandated by funders,” the paper states.

The study notes that research about small island states from outsiders is rare because islands are often seen to be of peripheral interest.

“When research activities occur, they are often dictated by Western ideologies and philosophies and are therefore not always relevant to the socioeconomic priorities of SIDS,” the study states.

Globalisation pressures

Lead author of the study, Professor Robin Nunkoo, who is head of the International Center for Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality at the University of Mauritius, told University World News that strong globalisation pressures were forcing many SIDS to move towards knowledge-based economies.

“Therefore, research that responds to SIDS’ development challenges and priorities is considered vital to their economic survival and sustainability,” Nunkoo said.

“Economic progress of SIDS also relies on strong human capital to drive innovation and deliver new and improved products and services,” he added.

Nunkoo said that by prioritising human capital development, the regions could enhance their research output, but this required investment to develop scientists capable of producing high quality socio-economically relevant research.

Evidence-based policy

He said policies and strategies in SIDS should emanate from scientific research and be evidence-based, taking into account the specific characteristics of the economies, rather than being guided by “political opinions and anecdotes”.

Nunkoo said the legacy of colonialism in several SIDS had created a dependency in which universities were conceived as labour pipelines rather than knowledge hubs.

“As a result, universities in SIDS are tasked by their governments to focus on manpower development by assimilating foreign knowledge rather than creating economically relevant knowledge through research,” Nunkoo argued.

“As a result, highly skilled individuals leave the country in search of better economic opportunities elsewhere,” he added.

If there was to be a turnaround, Nunkoo indicated that politicians and policy-makers needed to have faith in the scientific research produced by universities.

Investment

“The government has to reassess the role of universities in the light of new socio-economic and political challenges,” Nunkoo said.

“SIDS also require investment in both basic and applied research in their priority economic sectors,” he said. “Ignoring research investment might prevent SIDS governments and policy makers from designing the most appropriate policies for productivity and economic growth,” he explained.

Professor Juma Shabani, director of the Doctoral School at the University of Burundi, told University World News that studies that assess the impact of science on the socio-economic development of a country or region are still “poorly developed".

Thus, the SIDS study was of “great significance", he said, because it raised a red flag to governments, encouraging them to “direct research at universities into a tool for creating and advancing knowledge which is essential for the development of societies and economies”.