Translating a wicked problem:A strategic planning approach to rural shrinkage in Denmark

AbstractIn a time of increasing globalisation and urbanisation, shrinking peripheral rural areas have become a truly wicked planning problem in many European countries. Although a problem can be easily perceived and measured by various indicators, the precise definition of the problem is problematic. Based on the case of a Danish planning process which was carried out in collaboration with a charitable trust, this paper discusses an emerging strategic planning approach at the municipal level. We use the concept of wicked problems, strategic planning theory and Actor-Network-Theory to study a collaborative, place-based and project-oriented process directed at concrete physical outcomes. We frame strategic planning as a translation process where the interaction between human and non-human actors translates a unique, complex and contested situation into an innovated situation. We find that local physical projects played a major role in this process. First, they acted as a vehicle that assembled planners, politicians and stakeholders to work towards strategic visions across multiple scales. Second and consequently, they stimulated considerable second and third order effects in the form of shared problem-understandings, increased social capital, and follow-up projects initiated beyond the actual planning process. We conclude that local physical projects, when conceived in a collaborative and strategic manner, can contribute to sustainable adaptation to rural shrinkage

There is more to it than meets the eye: Strategic design in the context of rural decline

Based on a Danish case, this paper investigates how strategic urban and landscape design can contribute to positive developments in rural areas that are challenged by population decline. From 2007–2012, the municipality of Bornholm conducted a strategic planning process, which aimed to enhance quality of life by strengthening place-based qualities and potential through local physical projects. Guided by actor-network theory (ANT) we analyse the socio-material effects of the new assemblages of people and things around the design interventions that were made. We find that strategic spatial projects can contribute considerably to quality of life in declining rural areas. From a wider strategic perspective, they can also define new spatial development perspectives rooted in place-based resources and potential. Methodologically, ANT offers a pertinent framework for studying the long-term performance of strategic spatial projects and how design actions can continue to gather new actors, spark new initiatives and, thereby, fuel repercussive effects

There is more to it than meets the eye:Strategic design in the context of rural decline

Based on a Danish case, this paper investigates how strategic urban and landscape design can contribute to positive developments in rural areas that are challenged by population decline. From 2007–2012, the municipality of Bornholm conducted a strategic planning process, which aimed to enhance quality of life by strengthening place-based qualities and potential through local physical projects. Guided by actor-network theory (ANT) we analyse the socio-material effects of the new assemblages of people and things around the design interventions that were made. We find that strategic spatial projects can contribute considerably to quality of life in declining rural areas. From a wider strategic perspective, they can also define new spatial development perspectives rooted in place-based resources and potential. Methodologically, ANT offers a pertinent framework for studying the long-term performance of strategic spatial projects and how design actions can continue to gather new actors, spark new initiatives and, thereby, fuel repercussive effects

The Nelson and Winter Models RevisitedPrototypes for Computer-Based Reconstruction of Schumpeterian Competition

The report deals with the reconstruction and further development of the models of industrial dynamics developed by Nelson and Winter and summarised in their famous 1982-book. The basic idea underlying the Nelson and Winter models is that a verbal account of Schumpeterian competition can naturally be transformed into a description of a computational process in which firms not only make short-term production decisions and investment decisions but also performs a search for new technologies. The latter search is successful in a probabilistic manner, and its successes and failures determine an evolutionary process of the industry. Although the simulation models of Nelson and Winter have played a central role the ‘take-off’ of evolutionary economics, they have never been fully documented and their differences have never been explored. The resulting problems are obvious for students who start from Nelson’s and Winter’s most famous accounts, but even for researchers with a full collection of the underlying research papers, the situation is quite confusing. The report tries to make things easier by presenting overviews of the structure of Nelson and Winter models as well as fully implemented versions of their simulation models – especially NELWIN78 based on ch. 13 of the 1982-book and NELWIN77 based on ch. 12. The report furthermore presents a computer-based environment (implemented in MAPLE V Rev2) for revision of the models and for analysis of the overwhelming number of data resulting from simulation runs.Evolutionary economic modelling, simulation of industrial dynamics, Schumpeterian competit

Enacting the entrepreneurial self:Public-Private Innovation as an actualization of the neoliberal market dispositive

Drawing on Foucault’s writings on power, neoliberalism, and the dispositive, this article analyses the identity politics that is immanent in a new collaborative practice between the public and private sector called public-private innovation (PPI). We argue that PPI is an element in actualizing a neoliberal market dispositive through inclining subjects to work on themselves in order to actualize their entrepreneurial self, thereby disconnecting them from their public service identity. The construction of two narratives supports the constitution of the political space of PPI: the fiery soul narrative and the need narrative. An important part of this identity politics is the construction of the narrative of the individual entrepreneur. Rather than expressing new public governance in the public sector, PPI actualizes a dispositive that marketizes public services as part of a neoliberal agenda. The narrative of PPI distracts from the marketization of public sector and leaves no other space for public-sector employees than to constitute themselves within contradictory feelings of enthusiasm and anxiety, determination and self-blame, responsibility and inadequacy, and bustle and confusion

Implementing international environmental agreements in Russia

This exciting book is the first systematic study of how international environmental agreements are transformed into political action in Russia. Using three illuminating case studies on the implementation process in the fields of fisheries management, nuclear safety and air pollution control, this book fills an important gap in existing literature. While the focus in current social science debate on international environmental regimes is accumulating knowledge on 'implementing activities' at both national and international level, this book goes one step further and examines implementation at national and regional level. This topic is of great theoretical relevance to the study of environmental politics since some of the main sources of environmental degradation in Europe are to be found in the Russian Federation. It is also of relevance to the more general debate on contemporary Russian politics and offers valuable new material on regional politics in Russia. With its emphasis on the politics of environmental and resource management, it continues the description and discussion of political processes where most accounts of Russian politics tend to stop. This book will be invaluable for undergraduates, postgraduates and academics studying environmental politics and Russian politics at regional and national level

Tracking hidden innovations in tourism

Hidden innovations are innovations that have been overlooked, forgotten or ignored. In this context, this study explores hidden innovations in tourism—innovations not captured by frequently used quantitative instruments such as the Eurostat's community innovation survey (CIS). The study also explains why several innovations have remained hidden in the tourism industry. It identifies and analyses processes producing hidden innovations and determines the characteristics and types of these innovations. The study analyses 13 interviews in four tourism businesses—one Alpine centre and three hotels. Empirical testing indicates the inadequacy of CIS measurement in capturing these innovations. The findings reveal several hidden innovations. In the tourism context, we find two types of hidden innovations—hidden stage-wise and stage-merged innovations. These hidden innovations have two triggers. The first trigger refers to the evaluation of work processes carried out at the decentralized levels of companies. The second trigger is the work climate combining staff willingness (W) and opportunities (O) (WO-oriented work climate)—where the employees are willing to engage with innovation and are provided with an innovation opportunity. This study has important implications for extending the understanding of hidden innovations, especially in tourism, and guiding managers to facilitate, motivate and support work environments that allow employees' freedom and help them take responsibility to generate ideas and innovations.publishedVersio

Implementing international environmental agreements in Russia

This exciting book is the first systematic study of how international environmental agreements are transformed into political action in Russia. Using three illuminating case studies on the implementation process in the fields of fisheries management, nuclear safety and air pollution control, this book fills an important gap in existing literature. While the focus in current social science debate on international environmental regimes is accumulating knowledge on 'implementing activities' at both national and international level, this book goes one step further and examines implementation at national and regional level. This topic is of great theoretical relevance to the study of environmental politics since some of the main sources of environmental degradation in Europe are to be found in the Russian Federation. It is also of relevance to the more general debate on contemporary Russian politics and offers valuable new material on regional politics in Russia. With its emphasis on the politics of environmental and resource management, it continues the description and discussion of political processes where most accounts of Russian politics tend to stop. This book will be invaluable for undergraduates, postgraduates and academics studying environmental politics and Russian politics at regional and national level

The role of contextual conditions in systems development: The impact of design context on participation in Norwegian Welfare Services

Human-Computer Interaction and adjacent fields agree that citizen participation is vital in designing digital public services. However, a gap remains between recommendations and how participation is facilitated in practice in the public sector. As challenges to participation remain even in the face of established design standards and best practices, contextual conditions warrant more investigation. Based on this discrepancy, we must clarify how the design context impacts participatory activities. This paper presents an exploratory case study of how designers and caseworkers seek to involve vulnerable persons in a public service project's digital solution development. We identified three interconnected contextual conditions that impact participation in the design process: 1) organizational complexity, 2) recruitment and representation, and 3) power imbalances. This paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the role of context as a determinant of participatory outcomes in digital public system design.The role of contextual conditions in systems development: The impact of design context on participation in Norwegian Welfare ServicespublishedVersio