Making the Global Local: The Case of Chinese Research and Innovation Evaluation Systems

Starting with China's increasingly prominent role in the global politics of science, this paper considers the case of Chinese policies for the evaluation of Research & Innovation (R&I) and the recent problematization of the Science Citation Index. Developing the notion of global embedding, we conduct a document study of Chinese R&I policy to explore how China mediates the relations between global standardization of research quality and local concerns for indigenous research development. Showing that China seeks high global rankings while also questioning them, we explore how globally familiar representations of the scientific process are expressed in core Chinese statements even as China pursues its own distinctive path. We discuss how co-production of standardization and difference instantiates a both practical and pragmatic resolution of global embedding—suggesting a flexible resolution of what might otherwise be presented as contradictory pressures. Shedding light on the mediations and translations of global ranking systems in R&I policy, we contribute to science & technology studies on co-production by exploring the relations between policies for science and the influence of broader political culture. At stake is the very notion that R&I policies can serve local as well as international needs.