5 ms·
There's one point you're missing, and that's that you're only talking about people in America or other rich, large countries. The money is an incredible bar to
by Vivtek 15y ago
There's one point you're missing, and that's that you're only talking about people in America or other rich, large countries. The money is an incredible bar to, say, Hungary.
- polyfractal 15y agoUnfortunately, I would wager a guess that most of the money is in these large, rich countries. There is little incentive for Elsevier et al to lower prices when they can demand top dollar from American and European universities.
- roel_v 15y agoWhat? I'm not talking about that at all. I'm saying that most papers are already available to everybody who wants them, whether they're from the US, Hungary or Botswana (as long as they have an internet connection and basic research skills).
- Vivtek 15y agoNo. No, they're not. Unless the field in question has open archives like arxiv.org, and medicine (to take one at not-so-random) does not - or at least didn't until the NIH started doing the right thing. This has always been perceived - rightly or wrongly, but I suspect there's a lot to it - as one more way America oppresses the little guy. Or in this case, the little country.