The rise of China in academic research

Luc Laeven, Alexander Popov and Catalina Cozariuc

No 3241, Working Paper Series from European Central Bank

Abstract: Analyzing more than 300,000 articles across 40 top-tier journals between 2000 and 2022, this study demonstrates that China’s 2006 National Medium-and Long-Term Plan for the Development of Science and Technology catalyzed a surge in publication volume and citations, propelling China past the United States as the world’s leading producer of scientific research. Controlling for national income, population, and human capital, we find these gains are concentrated in fields explicitly targeted by the government’s plan—physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine—while fields excluded from the plan, such as mathematics and economics, show significantly less growth. Our findings suggest that targeted state-led investment can effectively drive scientific progress, at least within a centrally planned economy. JEL Classification: F63, H52, I28, O38, P27

Keywords: China; government spending; international competitiveness; research and development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06
Note: 261593
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Related works:
Journal Article: The rise of China in academic research (2026)
Working Paper: The Rise of China in Academic Research (2025)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20263241

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