Research during Covid-19: A Five Country Comparative Analysis

In 2020 and 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted research activities globally.The response to the pandemic varied widely across nations and institutions. Scientists' experience, access to technologies, designation as "essential", gender, extent of teaching responsibilities, health, and perceptions of the pandemic and the response to the pandemic may have also shaped the extent to which research progress was made during the pandemic.

Drawing on data collected in 2022 and 2023 with about scientists at agriculturally-oriented universities and research centers in each of five countries--nearly 1500 total surveys, about 300 each in Ghana, India (Kerala), Kenya, Mexico, and the United States (Louisiana)---our paper explores variations in the degree to which the pandemic led to changes in the amount of (a) time scientists in these locations devoted to research, (b) progress made on their primary and secondary research projects, (c) funding that was available for research, and (d0 other indicators of research productivity. Our study considers the national and institutional (university versus research center) variations in response to the pandemic and scientists’ perceptions of the Covid-19 pandemic. We underscore certain factors that facilitated and hindered research progress and discuss implications for future research.