Knowledge production capacity of exclaves: The case of the Kaliningrad region

Andrey Mikhaylov
Ph.D., Head of Laboratory
Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University
Russia

Senior Research Fellow
Institute of Geography of the RAS
Russia

Anna Mikhaylova
Ph.D., Lead Researcher
Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University
Russia

Exclave position, generally, predetermines the development strategy of a region focusing on overcoming its vulnerability due to ‘exclavity’. Building a solid regional innovation system based on internal S&T potential and high-tech industries is preferred as it reduces the dependence on transport accessibility and the volume of cargo, although, remaining highly sensitive to macro-economic and geopolitical factors. It is said that science and innovation are becoming truly global and collaborative, we, therefore, expect for the exclaves worldwide to be especially open in establishing inter-organizational and international research collaboration as compared to the inner regions of their countries.

For testing this hypothesis, we have analyzed the research performance of the 11 largest exclaves of the world in the USA, France, Russia, Great Britain, Azerbaijan, Oman, Croatia, and Palestine. The study is based on scientometric data sourced from Scopus – the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, featuring scholarly output in 2015-2020. This approach enables us to objectively evaluate knowledge production systems of the exclaves by their productivity, institutional density, the demand for the output generated, and the level of cooperation ties established.

The Kaliningrad region stands in the middle by publication activity, ahead of the exclave regions of Palestine, Croatia, Azerbaijan, and Oman, but behind the leaders in the volume of publications and authors involved in their generation – Northern Ireland and Alaska. The share of the Kaliningrad region in the total output of the country is marginal – 0.4%. For example, for the Gaza Strip has 3.4%, Northern Ireland – 1.4%, and Dubrovnik-Neretva – 1.3%. However, this is explained by a significant number of research centers in Russia and is offset by the localization of highly competitive research groups in the region on certain topics, for example, X-Ray optics, Magnetic sensors, Border studies, etc.

Considering the level of demand for the knowledge produced, the exclave regions can be divided into two groups. The first includes Alaska, Northern Ireland, and French Guiana, representing the Anglo-Saxon and French scientific schools, with the level of field-weighted citation impact of publications exceeding both global and country average values. The second is the other 6 exclaves, including the Kaliningrad region, whose research is less cited on a national level and below global average threshold values (excluding the Gaza Strip). It shall be said that academic community often questions this asymmetrical distribution of citations skewed towards Anglo-Saxon publications true for all types of regions worldwide.

The Kaliningrad region, along with Musandam, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, and Northern Ireland, is characterized by monocentric scientific systems. The contribution of a nuclei institution (Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University for the Kaliningrad region) ranged from 80 to 100% of the total output. The figures are slightly lower for Dubrovnik-Neretva, the Gaza Strip and Alaska, ranging from 50 to 70%. While some knowledge production systems, such as French Guiana, are represented by a strong organizational diversity.

Most active inter-organizational cooperation is found in Northern Ireland with the share of academic-corporate collaboration reaching 5.6% of the total output, exceeding the national average. For the Kaliningrad region, the share of such publications is less than 1%, which is explained by the small capacity of the domestic market for corporate research. A similar situation is typical for the Croatian Dubrovnik-Neretva.

International cooperation data confirms the openness of most exclave regions, e.g. 32.0% of research published with the Kaliningrad region is done with foreign counterparts versus 22.8% national average share. The knowledge production system of the Kaliningrad region, along with Alaska, Northern Ireland, and French Guiana, is the most open to global networking. This is reflected, for example, in annual scientific events (e.g. international conference “The Baltic Region – the Region of Cooperation”, etc.), publishing a journal (“Baltic Region”) and periodicals (“Region of Cooperation”), wide participation in cross-border cooperation programs with Poland and Lithuania.

For other exclaves, in Azerbaijan, Oman, Palestine, the limited involvement into international relations is, predominantly, due to instability of foreign policy relations. Thus, whether a territorial exclave will remain a scientific exclave largely depends on the geopolitical landscape that is taking shape. While the collapse of research ties might result in the impoverishment of the entire academic community.

Email: mikhailov.andrey@yahoo.com

Email: tikhonova.1989@mail.ru

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