Science diplomacy at the intersection of S&T policies and foreign affairs: toward a typology of national approaches

Abstract

In the wake of burgeoning international activities and collaborative venues in S&T, rich industrial countries have taken to science diplomacy to strengthen their innovative capacities or to foster cross-border civil relations. Apart from some theoretical considerations and empirical case studies, however, we still know little about its different objectives or the strategies, administrative procedures and resources deployed at this fuzzy intersection of S&T policy and foreign affairs. Presenting findings of a comparative study of six countries' science diplomacy, this article puts forward some simple heuristics to account for different programmatic styles and organizational patterns in this emerging field.