The Role of Mobility in Mitigating Core-Periphery Inequalities: Contribution Statements of African Scholars in International Collaboration

This paper explores the impact of international mobility on the distribution of tasks within core-periphery scientific 
collaborations, particularly focusing on Africa. Utilizing a dataset with contributions statements from 
ScienceDirect, the study categorizes publications and author contributions from 2017-2023 involving African 
researchers. It finds significant disparities in task assignment, where authors from the global scientific periphery 
often perform menial roles. The paper highlights that mobility, especially international, potentially mitigates these 
inequalities by positioning periphery scholars in more substantial roles, enhancing their visibility and career 
progression. Initial results indicate that mobile researchers tend to secure prominent authorial positions and are 
more involved in conceptual and supervisory tasks. These findings suggest that increasing international mobility 
and integration into global networks could promote a more equitable distribution of intellectual labour and 
recognition in global science collaborations.