International collaboration clusters in Africa

TL;DR

This paper reveals that Africa's international research collaboration patterns are shaped more by regional, historical, cultural, and linguistic factors than by global socio-economic influences, highlighting complex internal and external clustering.

Contribution

It challenges the notion of a universal global network by demonstrating Africa's unique, layered collaboration clusters driven by regional and human factors.

Findings

Africa's collaboration patterns are regionally layered.

Internal clusters are influenced by history, culture, and language.

External links are shaped by regional geography.

Abstract

Recent discussion about the increase in international research collaboration suggests a comprehensive global network centred around a group of core countries and driven by generic socio-economic factors where the global system influences all national and institutional outcomes. In counterpoint, we demonstrate that the collaboration pattern for countries in Africa is far from universal. Instead, it exhibits layers of internal clusters and external links that are explained not by monotypic global influences but by regional geography and, perhaps even more strongly, by history, culture and language. Analysis of these bottom-up, subjective, human factors is required in order to provide the fuller explanation useful for policy and management purposes.