'の使い方
The primary catalyst for its rise to prominence in the mid-twentieth century was scholars' and academics' leveraging it as a response to growing concerns about the economic outlook for poorer countries plagued by recession as a result of World War ll.
scholars' and academics' leveraging it〜
ここの繋ぎ方がよく分かりません。文の意味は分かるんですが、文法的に理解ができませんでした。よろしくお願いします。
回答
The primary catalyst for its rise to prominence in the mid-twentieth century was scholars' and academics' leveraging it as a response to...
The primary catalyst
（ for its rise to prominence ）
（ in the mid-twentieth century ）
was scholars' and academics' leveraging it
as a response to...
という分け方になります。
つまり、
The primary catalyst was scholars' / academic's leveraging it
ということが言いたいわけですが、更に所有代名詞を使ってまとめると
The primary catalyst was their leveraging it.
となります。
述語の部分を their leveraging it としているところは、つまり
leveraging it by them / leveraging it by scholars' and academics'
ということで、この by 以下の部分を所有格にしてしまって、文を引き締めている（ leveraging に注目するように）わけです。
（この leveraging は leverage の動名詞で、後ろの it は他動詞 leverage が要求する目的語ですが、この文ではおそらく前述のことのようなので、代名詞 it があてられています。）
このような所有格+動名詞の使い方は、やや文語的な（かたい）ニュアンスがありますが、よく使われます。
The cause of the vehicle's mechanical malfunction is believed to be the technicians' and their managers' negligence of their routine maintenance protocols.
= It is believed that the mechanical malfunction of the vehicle was caused by the negligence by the technicians and their managers of their routine maintenance protocols.
この質問に回答する
The primary catalyst for its rise to prominence in the mid-twentieth century was scholars' and academics' leveraging it as a response to growing concerns about the economic outlook for poorer countries plagued by recession as a result of World War ll.
scholars' and academics' leveraging it〜
ここの繋ぎ方がよく分かりません。文の意味は分かるんですが、文法的に理解ができませんでした。よろしくお願いします。