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“JOSHA’s Critical Review of ‘The problem of ‘trickle-down’ science from the Global North to the Global South’ by D. Reidpath and P. Allotey”
Neher Aseem Parimoo,
Ignacio Mastroleo,
Roland Mertelsmann
Affiliation: Josha Journal, Freiburg, Germany
Keywords: Academia, Scientific Research, Intellectual Power, Global North, Global South, 'Trickle-down Science', LMICs
Categories: News and Views
Languages: English
"The Problem of 'Trickle-Down Science' from the Global North to the Global South" by Daniel D. Reidpath and Pascale Allotey discusses the impact of the concentration of intellectual power, resources, and opportunities in the Global North on the quality of science in the Global South. The authors describe the phenomenon of 'trickle-down science' and its three consequences: researchers in the Global North who shift their focus away from the Global South, those who try to maintain their focus on the Global South, and researchers who return to the Global South, frustrated by a lack of enabling environment to apply their new skills. The article provides three examples to demonstrate the mismatch between research conducted in LMICs and the needs of the South. The authors emphasize the need for a more collaborative and balanced approach to scientific research that takes into account the needs and priorities of the Global South. Although the authors do not offer recommendations for improvement, the article sheds light on the issues facing the Global South and calls for changes to the current system. Overall, the article highlights the urgent need to address the problem of 'trickle-down science' to ensure that scientific research can benefit all regions of the world equally. This article was first published in 'BMJ Global Health' on July 05, 2019 (https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001719).