In theory, science aspires to be cosmopolitan. Where you are from and where you undertake your research are secondary to the quality of your ideas. However, as Andres-Rodriguez-Pose, Leiboyu Xiang, and Neil Lee show, the geography of elite research remains firmly entrenched in a small number of locations.

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26 January 2026

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LSE Impact

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https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2026/01/26/the-brutal-geography-of-global-elite-scientific-research/

This Blog is published under the centre's Urban programme.

This publication comes under the following theme: Urban inequality: The role and determinants of urban productivity