Expenditures on scientific research (cross-country comparisons).

Abstract

Cross-country comparisons of research expenditures are made, depending on the size of the economy (gross domestic product at purchasing power parity) and GDP per capita. It is shown that the determining factor in the position of countries is GDP per capita and all countries can be divided into four groups based on this feature. This groups differ in the scale of funding for science, characterized by the volume of expenditures on science as a percentage of GDP. For the group of developed countries, an additional division is made into subgroups depending on the specialization of their economies. In the general sample, groups of countriesthat differ in the specialization of the economy are identified, and the difference in the policy of countries of different specialization in the financing of scientific research is considered. The position of Russia in relation to the BRICS countries and economically developed countries is considered. It is shown that the place of Russia in the ratings that characterize the volume of scientific research fits into the general patterns obtained for the entire set of the countries considered, and corresponds to the current volume of per capita GDP and the specialization of the Russian economy in the extractive industries. The current financial instruments for financing scientific research are considered from the point of view of their possible impact on changing the situation with Russia’s position in international ratings.