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

Korea Observer. 2024. Vol. 55. No. 3. P. 355–377.

Красняк О. А.

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.

Ключевые слова: constructivism, Realism, science diplomacy, cooperation in science and technology, Russia and South Korea