Persistence of the recent uptick in U.S. betweenness centrality

Determine whether the observed uptick around 2023–2024 in U.S. normalized betweenness centrality persists in subsequent years.

Background

The authors report a small recent increase in U.S. topological betweenness centrality after a long decline, noting substantial uncertainty in forecasts for the U.S. position compared to Great Britain and China.

They explicitly state that the durability of this uptick is unknown, highlighting a short-term open question about the trajectory of U.S. network position.

References

A notable uptick in U.S. centrality is visible around 2023-2024, which may reflect post-pandemic recovery in international collaboration or early network responses to shifting geopolitical conditions, though its persistence remains to be seen.

— Network Evolution and National Interests: Global Scientific Reorganization and the Rise of Scientific Nationalism  (2603.27350 - Wagner et al., 28 Mar 2026) in Results, Figure 2 discussion