European academic talents liminal position in China from the resource-based view

Abstract

This article explores global talent flows in a Chinese context before and immediately after the introduction of Covid-19 measures by focusing on European researchers’ migration experiences as liminal experiences betwixt and between space, institutions, and countries. These experiences are part of a broader understanding of global talent flows in a period where the Chinese economy is transforming from production-based to knowledge-based but simultaneously challenged by a global pandemic. Working with a mixed dataset that includes both semi-structured interviews and survey data, the paper finds that European researchers are under the impression that they are considered a valuable resource by their host institution. The paper explores the value of European researchers in China through the resource-based view and connects it to their ability to connect their Chinese institutions internationally and introduce new publication possibilities. However, by combining bridge decay with liminality, this paper also concludes that the liminal position that European researchers find themselves within is also a significant risk as some of the elements that make them valuable might be challenged by periods of crisis. Finally, China offers an extreme case as a rising science nation that is important to study continuously but even more so during a crisis.