October 27, 2024 – ANA LUCIA KASSOUF, VERÓNICA AMARANTE, AND JANE KABUBO-MARIARA

Reprinted by permission from VoxDev. Original article here.

Southern researchers are uniquely positioned to enrich the global development discourse with their intimate knowledge of the local contexts and nuanced perspectives. Yet, they remain marginalised in international forums and academic journals dominated by authors from North America and Europe. This imbalance perpetuates a narrative that overlooks critical insights and innovative solutions grounded in Southern research.

The underrepresentation of Africa-based researchers, for instance, underscores a troubling trend. Despite a significant focus on Southern countries in development research, only 15% of papers originate from these regions over the past three decades. This stagnation highlights the persistent barriers faced by Southern scholars in accessing global platforms and influencing policy. 

Collaboration between Northern and Southern researchers

International collaboration between Northern and Southern researchers offers promise as a bridge towards greater inclusivity. The rise in such partnerships over the past thirty years suggests some progress has been made in reducing the relative academic isolation of Southern scholars. However, these partnerships must navigate challenges, such as reshaping research agendas to align with international priorities, sometimes at the expense of local needs. For example, the popularity of Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) has energised collaborations between researchers from developed and developing countries. However, there have been concerns they may distort research agendas and displace other relevant research. Even as RCTs and global expertise can provide valuable insights, they should not overshadow the importance of context-specific research and locally informed policy decisions.

Skewed representation on editorial boards

The composition of editorial boards of development journals further compounds these challenges. Despite Southern countries often being the focus of research, only 17% of editors are from these regions, contributing to a skewed representation that impacts the research which gets published and recognised.

This underrepresentation of Southern scholars on editorial boards is particularly concerning given evidence that, for leading economic journals, there is a strong correlation between the geographical location of editorial board members and the geographical location of published authors, as well as that the existence of a social tie with an editor positively affects scholars’ publication outcomes.

Moreover, researchers from countries where English is not their first language face a language barrier. Recent research suggests that writing does matter when submitting to journals. In this study, 30 economists each judged five original and five language edited papers. The authors find that the language edited versions are judged to be of higher quality, are more likely to be accepted for conferences, and have higher chances of being accepted in journals. Disparities between Southern and Northern researchers may be further exacerbated as Southern researchers may not have access to the same editing services as researchers in the North.

This imbalance extends to global development conferences, where Southern researchers make up a mere 9% of participants, while Northern perspectives dominate both the agenda and discourse. This disparity not only limits the visibility of Southern research but also perpetuates a cycle where Northern priorities dictate the global development agenda.

How to reduce these disparities within economic research

Addressing these disparities requires concerted efforts to promote diversity and inclusion across all facets of development research. Initiatives advocating for greater representation on editorial boards, as well as equitable participation in conferences are a crucial step forward. The underrepresentation of Southern scholars at conferences is not only a matter of geographical location, but also reflects broader inequalities in access to resources, funding, and networking opportunities. Efforts should include reducing the significant barriers to attend these conferences, like high travel costs and visa restrictions that disproportionately affect Southern researchers.

There are many reports on the frustrations faced by professionals from the Global South in obtaining visas to attend development conferences. Last year an open letter signed by nearly 1,400 individuals from the Global South, called for changes in how these events are organised. The letter urges funders to ensure equal representation of Global South participants by addressing visa barriers, covering attendance costs and communicating in accessible languages, as well as involving organisations from the Global South in the agenda-setting process. 

Initiatives such as those spearheaded by the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), acknowledge the challenges faced by Southern scholars and call for action, advocating for policy research that integrates Southern perspectives and addresses local priorities. Proposed actions to address these issues include increasing the number of referees from developing countries in development journals and improving the representation of researchers from developing countries on the editorial boards of these publications. Additionally, promoting long-term research collaborations between researchers from developing and developed countries is crucial. Such partnerships should be characterised by clear rules, greater transparency, open dialogue, and a plurality of perspectives. Recognising the value of local expertise as well as actively reading and referencing studies conducted by researchers based in developing countries is essential for promoting diversity and inclusion in the field of development economics. Such endeavours not only enhance the quality of research but also foster inclusive growth and development strategies tailored to diverse global contexts.

The importance of amplifying Southern perspectives

Ultimately, the goal is not merely to increase numerical representation but to harness the full spectrum of knowledge and expertise that Southern researchers bring. Empowering Southern researchers is not just a matter of fairness, it is essential for advancing inclusive and sustainable development worldwide. By dismantling barriers and amplifying Southern perspectives, we can build a more robust and responsive global research community that drives meaningful change on a global scale.

Ana Lucia Kassouf is a full Professor in the Department of Economics at University of Sao Paulo and a Research Fellow with the Partnership for Economic Policy.

Verónica Amarante is a Professor at Instituto de Economía (Iecon) from the Economics Department at Universidad de la República (Udelar) in Uruguay and a Research Fellow at the Partnership for Economic Policy. 

Jane Kabubo-Mariara is Executive Director of the Partnership for Economic Policy, full Professor of Economics at the University of Nairobi, President of the African Society for Ecological Economics, and a member of the Central Bank of Kenya’s Monetary Policy Committee and the Club of Rome’s Earth4All 21st Century Transformational Economics Commission.

Photo by Nothing Ahead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/paper-world-map-with-continents-and-water-6564826/

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