Research

Science has become increasingly globalized, with international collaboration playing a crucial role in advancing scientific development and facilitating knowledge exchange across borders. However, contemporary international collaboration is still influenced by power asymmetries rooted in colonial legacies, resulting in researchers from non-Western countries often marginalized. This study investigates this power structure in international collaboration. We examine the underlying factors shaping the power structures in these collaborations and the consequences of such asymmetries. Our findings reveal that international collaboration is embedded in a hierarchical structure, where researchers from scientifically advanced countries are overrepresented in dominant roles while researchers from lagging countries are relegated to supportive roles. This power asymmetry also shapes the research direction of research in lagging countries. By analyzing the power dynamics within international collaborations, we reveal that researchers from less-developed countries are disadvantaged in the collaborative process which adversely impact both the global scientific community and national scientific development.