Conceptualising International Cooperation in Science and Technology: A Heuristic Model for Russian-South Korean Space Cooperation

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to add to theoretical understanding of how cooperation in science and technology can contribute to achieving a nation-state's foreign policy goals, and to suggest an explanatory framework for existing practices involving Russian-South Korean cooperation in science and technology, specifically space cooperation. The basic approaches of this article are theoretical, methodological, and empirical. International cooperation is based on a realist-constructivist theoretical approach, a science diplomacy concept, and a constructed heuristic model that helps improve our understanding of the role and implications of international cooperation in inter-state relations. The heuristic model for cooperation includes a toolbox of conceptualisation, operationalisation, and effects. This model is designed to contrast, compare, and analyse examples of Russian-Korean space cooperation, and to explain its successes and failures. The proposed heuristic model will help the academic and policy-making community open up to a wider implementation of international cooperation in science and technology for inter-state relations, and can also be applied to other types of international cooperation.