Measuring the incidence of social factors on scientific research: A socio-scientometrics analysis of strategic countries

In the scientific literature, some studies have examined the positive impact of research on society. However, this paper looks at how social factors can influence scientific results. The research exhibition studies Mexico and its strategic partners in science and technology. The results are divided into three parts, the first shows the relationship between population, public investment in higher education, gross domestic expenditure on R+D (GERD) (as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)), number of researchers and scientific results (scientific production and citations received). The second part focuses on the relationship between researcher mobility (sedentary or migratory (entry and exit flows, transitional stays)) and collaborative production. The third part analyzes whether countries' research preferences have an impact on the total number of scientific production. This study facilitates a better understanding of the social contributions to the scientific and socio-economic development of countries and is useful for governments and policy makers to take into account the importance of these social variables and, as a result, lead countries towards excellence in science.