Journal Article

Global patterns of epistemic hierarchy and dependency in science

Castro Torres, A. F., Esposito, M., Akbaritabar, A.

Development and Change (2026), accepted

Open Access

Abstract

The last three decades have witnessed significant transformations in global research systems. Increased scholarly mobility and enhanced connectivity across countries have boosted the globalization of academia. While the global nature and complexity of the global research system are undisputed, there is less agreement among scholars on its basis and contemporary development. Our work starts by describing two divergent views on these issues: one based on the idea that the scope of rationality and efficiency in scientific endeavors are continuously spreading from global North to global South countries, and a second one that focuses on material inequalities and epistemic dependencies between these world regions. By drawing on the frameworks of dependency theories and the world-systems approach, we provide a descriptive empirical analysis that supports the latter perspective. We use our findings to discuss how future research could focus on the mechanisms that fuel these inequalities and promote a more inclusive, truly global research environment.