Estimating the Impacts of Investment in a National Open Repository on Funded Research Output in South Korea

Abstract

Open access is a paradigm whereby the electronic versions of scholarly publications are made freely accessible without any restrictions. It is actively promoted globally and is also promoted domestically in accordance with this global trend. However, there is a growing need to evaluate existing activities and to seek policies for the steady spread of open access. This study examines the necessity of switching to a national repository from existing institutional repositories through policy direction analysis of open repositories. We examined domestic open access policies by analysing various overseas cases and the situation in South Korea. Finally, we determined the validity of investment in a national repository by analysing its social and economic impacts using the modified Solow-Swan model. The main parameters for applying the modified Solow-Swan model were estimated, and the domestic research and development expenditure was predicted via a regression method. Then, we applied a range of rate of returns to research and development (10% to 50%) to various scenarios and examined the effects of increasing accessibility and efficiency by 1% to 10%. We found that the implementation of a national open access repository in South Korea would have a substantial impact (to the tune of 147 billion won), without considering the potential costs of such a repository. Based on the estimates of the social and economic impact of a national repository, the implementation of a national open access repository in South Korea is economically viable. Besides having beneficial social and economic impacts, a national repository is expected to enhance awareness of open access among Korean researchers and institutions.