Global Development Through Enabling Systems: Prioritising Global Research Publishing Reform

By Alice Chadwick El-Ali and Tom Drake 

If we are entering a new era of low-volume aid financing, prioritising support for enabling global systems could be a sensible strategic pivot for aid organisations. International cooperation and catalytic financing can support fairer systems creating the conditions for communities and institutions in aid-recipient countries to flourish.

One under-recognised area that requires action is reforming the global research publishing system. Research evidence underpins every form of social and economic development, yet the current research publishing system prevents the participation of Global South researchers, undermines public trust in research evidence and stifles development. Reform does not require extensive additional financing but does require action: i) research publishing reform needs to be on the agenda at high-level international fora, such as the G20, to create a mandate for change; ii) donors needs to support reform initiatives led by the Global South to ensure an inclusive approach, and iii) research funders need to update their policies to promote a fairer global research system.

An era of low volume aid financing?

Recent events have signalled a troubling trend in international aid financing. The UK Prime Minister announced a significant cut to the country’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, reducing it from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI by 2027. Following the devastating pause and review of all USAID funding, the Trump administration has now terminated 83% of USAID programs.  

These cuts are part of a broader pattern of global aid commitments plateauing. Major concessional funds are seeking to raise a record US$100 billion in 2024/5, with replenishments dependent on a small group of donors whose commitments now look increasingly uncertain. Many commentators expect more donors to reduce their ODA commitments, leading to a prolonged period of reduced aid financing. This trend is particularly concerning given the increasing interconnectedness of global challenges such as conflict, climate change, and extreme poverty. 

The impact of the sudden USAID cuts has been devastating in terms of life saving programmes being cut short, and will be compounded by the more gradual retreat of other donors. But understandably, questions are already turning to what donors will prioritise within a more restricted ODA budget. 

Global development through enabling systems 

In this era of low volume aid financing, investments in enabling systems can have outsized development impacts. Achieving societal and economic progress requires fairer global systems that do not systematically disadvantage less powerful countries, either because of historical idiosyncrasies or an intentional, but inequitable, pursuit of economic advantage. 

Creating enabling systems means supporting countries to create an enabling national policy environment to incentivise development, alongside global cooperation to create a more level-playing field for participation. For example, at the national level implementing effective tax policies to drive domestic revenue growth, and at the international level, agreeing trade rules that support the economic participation of less powerful countries.  

Compared with the more traditional model of aid to finance service delivery, supporting development through enabling systems is cheap. When successful, impact can be achieved through catalytic financing, diplomacy, and international policy reform. An example to learn from is the establishment of the African Medicines Agency to improve the regulatory environment for access to essential medicines in Africa.  

Towards effective and equitable global research publishing 

One critical area, where focusing on enabling systems could have significant impact, is reforming the global research publishing system. The current publishing system’s inequities are hampering the potential impact of the $1 trillion annual public investment in research. Access to research results is restricted through prohibitive paywalls, and researchers and professionals, especially those in the Global South, are prevented from publishing by high publication fees. The inaccessibility of research also feeds into increasing societal mistrust of evidence due to the lack of transparency.  

The Open Access (OA) movement has achieved progress with access to research evidence, but publishers have largely replaced pay-to-read with pay-to-publish, erecting new barriers to participation, and progress towards fully OA journals is slowing. More radical reform is needed, rather than tinkering at the edges of the current research publishing system. A more equitable and effective global research publishing system is possible. It would ensure that research evidence is accessible to those that need it, would increase the participation of Global South researchers in knowledge production, and would maximize the impact of public investments in research.  

Reforming the research publishing system does not require extensive additional financing, in fact it’s estimated that there is sufficient money within the existing system. But reform does need strong political buy-in and international leadership to support coordination and create a clear mandate for change. In this new era of low-volume aid financing, prioritising reform of the research publishing system is an opportunity to realise greater value from research investments, past, present and future, as well as removing the barriers to participation from those without deep pockets or wealthy backers. In doing so, we will drive progress on our most pressing global challenges, from understanding the risks of AI, to building trust in lifesaving vaccines. 

Three actions to kick-start reform 

Development donors should prioritise support for enabling systems for research as a route to supporting Global South leadership of research and development. This means: 

1. Nation states need to put research publishing on the agenda in high-level international fora, including the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group (RIWG), the UN General Assembly Science Technology and Innovation Forum and sector specific forums such as the World Health Summit. 
2. Donors should support a range of initiatives to advance research publishing reform, especially those led by the Global South, to ensure reform efforts are informed by those who are currently most excluded from participation.  
3. Research funders should focus on how they can support a fairer global research system, for example by updating their Open Access policies to ensure that the research they fund is accessible to the widest possible audience.  

To read more about INASP’s work on Research Publishing Reform see Strengthening Science Diplomacy and Official Development Assistance Policy for Research Publishing Reform 

Photo by Joshua Rawson-Harris on Unsplash