Who truly shapes the global academic landscape? In this academic article, Sarah Cummings and Paul Hoebink pull back the curtain on a significant imbalance in global knowledge production in the field of development studies.

They dove deep into more than 2000 articles and the 329 editorial board members of 10 prominent journals from 2012–2014.

Their findings are quite striking and reveal a stark underrepresentation of academics from developing countries. Only 14% of authors and just 9%t of editorial board members were located in developing countries. Instead, the study highlights a clear dominance of academics from the USA and the UK, who together account for 43% of authors and 62% of editorial board members. The inequality isn’t just geographic – over 70% of editorial board members were men.

This reality isn’t just an oversight – it’s a barrier to equity, responsibility and diversity in the field of development studies, where the role of endogenous development is crucial. The authors suggest that the field can learn from disciplines like life sciences, which have a much higher rate of collaboration with researchers in least developed countries.

Ultimately, development studies needs to shift towards greater cooperation and a more equitable and responsible research model; one that is built on meaningful collaboration and partnership.

This study will be insightful for individuals and institutions who are committed to fostering fair and diverse knowledge production across global research communities.