# Knowledge Extraction & Sharing Gap

In the political economy of research, does the directional flow of knowledge from African trial sites to Northern publications constitute a pattern of intellectual extraction? This analysis tracked the knowledge value chain from 23,873 African trial registrations through publication, citation, and clinical implementation using ClinicalTrials.gov and bibliometric cross-referencing. Investigators reported the knowledge-return ratio as the fraction of African-generated evidence applied locally. An estimated seventy-two percent of data from African trials was analysed at Northern institutions, sixty-five percent of resulting publications were behind paywalls inaccessible to African researchers, and only eighteen percent of findings were applied in local clinical practice. Africa generated 23,873 trial registrations but the intellectual capital they produced — drug approvals, guideline changes, career advancement — accrued primarily to Northern institutions and pharmaceutical companies. These findings identify a knowledge extraction pipeline operating in parallel with biological and economic extraction. Interpretation is limited by the indirect estimation of knowledge flows from publication metadata.

## References

1. Mbaye R, et al. "Who is telling the stories of Africa?" BMJ Glob Health. 2019;4:e001855.
2. Benatar SR. "Reflections and recommendations on research ethics in developing countries." Soc Sci Med. 2002;54:1131-1141.

## Note Block

- Type: research
- App: https://mahmood726-cyber.github.io/africa-e156-students/governance-justice/dashboards/knowledge-extraction.html
- Code: https://github.com/mahmood726-cyber/africa-e156-students/blob/master/governance-justice/code/knowledge-extraction.py
- Data: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2
- Date: 2026-04-05