Organizational performance in hierarchies and communities of practice

In a preceding article we have studied the Communities of Practice and their conditions of emergence using an Agent based model of a set of agents facing a continuous flow of problems. We center now our analysis on the performance of this organizational structure in comparison with a two-level hierarchical delegation structure. Our results show the crucial role played by the communication and the specialisation of the agents. Our main result shows that community structures are efficient for competence building, and particularly, if one considers learning in the long term. This paper backs the claim made by Bowles and Gintis [2000] that hierarchy and communities are complementary rather than substitute modes of governance.Communities of practice, learning, emergence of networks

A Formal Model for Trust in Dynamic Networks

We propose a formal model of trust informed by the Global Computing scenario and focusing on the aspects of trust formation, evolution, and propagation. The model is based on a novel notion of trust structures which, building on concepts from trust management and domain theory, feature at the same time a trust and an information partial order

Strengthening the accountability of independent regulatory agencies: From performance back to democracy

The autonomy of independent regulatory agencies (IRAs) raises concerns about how to keep them accountable. Remarkably, the process of Europeanisation has led to the emergence of a multilevel regulatory system linking IRAs to national and supranational actors but, on the other side, this process has influenced the capacity to make IRAs accountable. The literature about the accountability deficit of IRAs has tried to address this question, but the interplay between delegation, \u2018multi-levelisation\u2019 and accountability has not been thoroughly investigated yet. Notably, theoretical analysis of IRAs\u2019 accountability in multilevel regulatory environments is still scarce. This article is aimed at contributing to the debate by pointing out that any theoretical discussion about the accountability of IRAs should be framed in normative terms and, precisely, should reconsider a crucial dimension neglected so far, that is, the goals accountability is expected to achieve. The article, in fact, argues that in multilevel regulatory environments the impact of devices adopted to improve the accountability of IRAs is generally weakened by the presence of a \u2018neutral\u2019 idea of accountability, which dilutes its power. The only way to strengthen the effect of accountability is to bring politics and democratic values back into the regulatory process

Government R&D funding: new approaches in the allocation policies for public and private beneficiaries

The objective of this paper is to perform a first experiment of quantitative assessment on changes in allocation mechanisms and in their underlying delegation models, using the quantitative information and the descriptions of national funding systems produced in the PRIME project funding activity. Delegation has been explored through changes in instrument portfolios and in evaluation modes, as proofs of an evolution in research governance. Some common trends can be identified: the reinforcing of both priority setting and peer review processes. The general result of our analysis is that some change in delegation modes took place, but there is not a simple transition from one delegation regime to another, while a "contract" delegation model (the NPM reform) is not detectable through project funding analysis.R/D funding, allocation policy, project funding, research governance, evaluation modes, delegation models