Political and Cultural Aspects of International Scientific Collaboration in National Science and Technology Plans of Selected Countries

Political and cultural aspects of international science and technology collaboration may be understood through exploring the concept of ‘science diplomacy’. Regardless of the mainstream conceptions of this term, it can be viewed from the perspective of dominance and resistance. From such a perspective, science diplomacy refers to attempts at exploiting scientific involvements to influence countries which deny other types of influence, on the one hand, and awareness of such attempts and resistance against them, on the other. The present study investigates aspects of such a conception of science diplomacy in national science and technology policy documents of different countries. The bulk of data in this research comprises the full text of macro science and technology plans of 34 countries in five continents. The qualitative content analysis of these documents reveals seven major themes: vague and wordy goal setting; over-focusing on science and technology import; purposeful priority setting in selecting collaborators; consideration of legal and organizational structures; cultural and political aims beyond mere science; inviting fellow national experts residing abroad; leadership in international science and technology trends; and independent priority setting in determining focal scientific areas. Awareness and consideration of these issues can bear significant messages for science and technology decision makers and administrators and may provide insights on the strengths and weaknesses of current national policies in this regard, especially in the context of growing international interactions.