The experimentation-accountability trade-off in innovation and industrial policy: are learning networks the solution?

The exact nature of industrial/innovation (I/I) policy challenges and the best way to address them are unknown ex ante. This requires a degree of experimentation, which can be problematic in the context of an accountable public administration and leaves the question of how to reconcile the experimental nature of I/I policy with the need for public accountability, a crucial but unresolved issue. The trade-off between experimentation and accountability requires a governance model that will allow continuous feedback loops among the various stakeholders and ongoing evaluation of and adjustments to activities as programmes are implemented. We propose an ‘action learning’ approach, incorporating the governance mechanism of ‘learning networks’ to handle the problems of implementing experimental governance of new and untried I/I policies. We resolve the issue of accountability by drawing on the literature on network governance in public policy. By integrating control and learning dimensions of accountability, this approach enables us to resolve conceptually and empirically trade-offs between the need for experimentation and accountability in I/I policy

The impact of information and communication technologies on inter-organisational routines and activities of learning networks

Presented at the GLOBELICS 6th International Conference 2008 22-24 September, Mexico City, Mexico.This paper uses the conceptual tools of technology-in-practice and the enacted structures to examine the impact of Information and Communication Technologies on the activities of learning networks, that is inter-firm networks specifically formed to enable their members to share and increase their knowledge. The basic assumption is that the measurement of the real impact of Information and Communication Technologies on organisational forms and functions require the identification of the routines and everyday practices deployed before and after the implementation of a new system. Therefore the paper starts with identifying the interorganisational routines deployed by learning networks and discusses the implementation of a technological platform in three learning networks in Austria, France and Ireland. The emerging technologies-in-practice are identified and the way that these technologies-in-practice fail or succeed to enhance the relevant routines is analysed. A survey among the learning networks members gives further insights into the actual aspects of the network routines that were affected by the introduced technology and its situated usages. The paper argues that, in the context of a network, only the alignment of transparent with receptive technologies-in-practice instigated by different stakeholders can produce a real impact on the inter-organisational routines and structures. In fact the alignment of technologies-in-practice within the network can influence critically several repertoires of inter-organisational routines such as the communication and informal knowledge sharing routines, with critical implications for the improvement of the whole network

Learning network as a mechanism for bridging the knowledge gap between European cultural institutions and digital technologies professionals

Presented at the GLOBELICS 6th International Conference 2008 22-24 September, Mexico City, Mexico.In order to overcome the major gap between the Cultural Heritage (CH) and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) world, which is slowing down the successful use and implementation of ICT technologies; this paper presents the methodology behind the creation of the Network of Expertise. The main objective of this network is to support the understanding of both worlds, providing training and facilitating knowledge acquisition of the domain from all perspectives, improving methodologies and techniques to fit better with the needs of the users, and debating new ways to introduce and use technology in CH that fits with the needs of the CH institutions. The methodology known as Learning Network integrates action learning techniques with the network approach producing a very powerful mechanism for sharing knowledge between different organisations. The vision is to create a network of centres, organized in a Europewide network, integrating a number of local CH and ICT institutions, policymakers, companies, research institutions and other stakeholders with a regional mission to improve the sector. The paper will further discuss the lessons learned, successes and challenges encountered during the implementation of the network