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The role of public policies in the decentralization process of Mexican science and the formation of new researchers in institutions outside the Mexico City area

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Abstract

We analyze the scientific productivity of the public state universities that are located outside of the metropolitan area of Mexico City through the outputs of researchers who have the benefit of been “New Full Time Professors” (NFTP) of the “Faculty Improvement Program” (PRODEP). This program was designed by the Mexican government with special emphasis to support the creation of new full-time positions in these universities. A good proportion of professors hired as NFTP in the universities mentioned earlier became members of the national system of researchers (SNI, Sistema Nacional de Investigadores). As a consequence of these two public policies, SNI and PRODEP, our results show that research groups of these universities are reducing their science gap with respect to the stronger research institutions located in Mexico City in terms of the outputs that are being published in mainstream journals with high impact factors. We found that engineering is an area that has been mainly benefited with the PRODEP program in the period 2010-2015.

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Source Web of science and SNI database [16]

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support from CONACyT (Mexico) and we thank the access to the databases of PRODEP by DGESU-SEP.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ph.D. Program On Science, Technology and Society, Cinvestav-IPN Apdo., 14-740 07000, Mexico City, Mexico

    R. Lopez-Olmedo, L. L. Villa-Vazquez & E. Zayago-Lau

  2. Sociology Department, UAM—Azcapotzalco, Av. Sn. Pablo 180, Col. Reynosa Tamaulipas, 02200, Mexico City, Mexico

    R. Marmolejo-Leyva

  3. Physics Departament, Cinvestav-IPN, Apdo., 14-740, 07000, México City, Mexico

    M. A. Perez-Angon

  4. Unidad Académica de Contabilidad, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas, 99000, Mexico

    L. L. Villa-Vazquez

  5. Unidad Académica de Estudios del Desarrollo, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas, 99000, Mexico

    E. Zayago-Lau

Authors
  1. R. Lopez-Olmedo
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  2. R. Marmolejo-Leyva
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  3. M. A. Perez-Angon
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  4. L. L. Villa-Vazquez
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  5. E. Zayago-Lau
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Lopez-Olmedo.

Appendix: List of acronyms

Appendix: List of acronyms

Acronym

Name

NOMBRE

State

CDMX

Mexico City

Ciudad de México

Ciudad de México

CONACyT

National Council on Science and Technology

Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología

National Institution

FTP

Full Time Positions

Profesores de Tiempo Completo

 

CC

CONACyT Center

Centros CONACyT

National

IHE

institutions of higher education

Instituciones de Educación Superior

National

JCR

Journal Citation Reports

 

Indicator

NFTP

New Full Time Professor-researchers

Nuevos Profesores de Tiempo Completo

Program

NFTP-SNI

This group are composed by the new full time professors membership in the National System of Researchers

 

Group

NFTP-SNI-PSU

this subgroup are the members of the UPE in the SNI

 

Subgroup

NGO

Non-Governmental Organization

Organizaciones no gubernamentales

Social Sector

PNPC

National Graduate Program of Excellence

Programa Nacional de Posgrado de Calidad

Program

PRODEP

Program for the Improvement of Faculty Members

Faculty improvement program

Programa para el Desarrollo Profesional Docente

Program

PROMEP

Faculty improvement program

Programa de Mejoramiento del Profesorado

Program

SENER

Minister of Energy

Secretaría de Energía

National

SEP

Minister of Public Education

Secretaria de Educación Publica

National

SNBP

National Graduate Fellowship Program

Sistema Nacional de Becas de Posgrado

Program

SNI

National System of Researchers

Sistema Nacional de Investigadores

Program

EDUCATION SUBSYSTEM

DTI

Descentralized Technological Institutes

Institutos Tecnológicos Descentralizados

IHE

FHEI

Federal Higher Education Institutions

Instituciones Federales

IHE

FTI

Federal Technological Institutes

Institutos Tecnológicos Federales

IHE

IU

Intercultural Universities

Universidades Interculturales

IHE

NS

Normal Schools

Escuelas Normales

IHE

PSU

Public State Universities

Universidades Públicas Estatales

IHE

PSUMF

Public State Universities with Mixed Funding

Universidades Públicas Estatales de Apoyo Solidario

IHE

PU

Polytechnic Universities

Universidades Politécnicas

IHE

TNM

National Technological Institute of Mexico

Tecnológico Nacional de México

IHE

TU

Technological Universities

Universidades Tecnológicas

IHE

UNIVERSITIES

BUAP

Benemeritus Autonomous University of Puebla

Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla

Puebla

IPN

National Polytechnic Institute

Instituto Politécnico Nacional

CDMX

ITESM

Monterrey Technological Institute of Higher Studies

Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores Monterrey

Nuevo León

UABC

Autonomous University of Baja California

Universidad Autónoma de Baja California

Baja California

UAdeC

Autonomous University of Coahuila

Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila

Coahuila

UADY

Autonomous University of Yucatán

Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán

Yucatán

UAEH

Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo

Hidalgo

UAEMex

Autonomous University of the State of Mexico

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México

México

UAEMor

Autonomous University of the State of Morelos

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos

Morelos

UAM

Metropolitan Autonomous University

Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana

CDMX

UANL

Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon

Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

Nuevo León

UAQ

Autonomous University of Queretaro

Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro

Querétaro

UAS

Autonomous University of Sinaloa

Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa

Sinaloa

UASLP

Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí

Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí

San Luis Potosí

UdeG

University of Guadalajara

Universidad de Guadalajara

Jalisco

UGto

University of Guanajuato

Universidad de Guanajuato

Guanajuato

UMSNH

Michoacan University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo

Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo

Michoacán

UNAM

National Autonomous University of Mexico

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

CDMX

UNICACH

University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas

Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas

Chiapas

UNISON

University of Sonora

Universidad de Sonora

Sonora

UV

Veracruz University

Universidad Veracruzana

Veracruz

RESEARCH CENTERS AND INSTITUTES

CIAD

Center for Research in Food and Development

Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo

Sonora

CIATEJ

Center for Research and Assistance in Technology and Design of the State of Jalisco

Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco

Jalisco

CICESE

Ensenada Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education

Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada

Baja California

CICY

Center for Scientific Research of Yucatan, A.C.

Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C.

Yucatán

CIDESI

Center of Engineering and Industrial Development

Centro de Ingeniería y Desarrollo Industrial

Queretaro

CIDETEQ

Center for Research and Technological Development in Electrochemistry

Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Electroquímica

Querétaro

CIMAT

Mathematics Research Center

Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas

Guanajuato

CIMAV

Research Center for Advanced Materials

Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados

Chihuahua

CINVESTAV

Center for Research and Advanced Studies

Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados

CDMX

CIO

Center for Research in Optics

Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica

Guanajuato

CIQA

Center for Research in Applied Chemistry

Centro de Investigación en Química Aplicada

Coahuila

COLPOS

College of Postgraduates

Colegio de Posgraduados

México

COMIMSA

Mexican corporation Materials Research SA de CV

Corporación Mexicana de Investigación en Materiales SA de CV.

Coahuila

IMP

Mexican Institute of Oil

Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo

CDMX

INAOE

National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics

Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica

Puebla

INECOL

National Institute of Ecology

Instituto Nacional de Ecología

Veracruz

IPICYT

Potosino Institute of Scientific and Technological Research

Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científico y Tecnológica

San Luis Potosí

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Lopez-Olmedo, R., Marmolejo-Leyva, R., Perez-Angon, M.A. et al. The role of public policies in the decentralization process of Mexican science and the formation of new researchers in institutions outside the Mexico City area. Scientometrics 112, 1343–1366 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-017-2423-x

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