scholarly journals Flanders Ahead, Wallonia Behind (But Catching Up): Reconstructing Communities Through Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Making

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 185-198
Author(s):  
Michiel Van Oudheusden ◽  
Nathan Charlier ◽  
Pierre Delvenne

Drawing on a documentary analysis of two socioeconomic policy programs, one Flemish (“Vlaanderen in Actie”), the other Walloon (“Marshall Plans”), and a discourse analysis of how these programs are received in one Flemish and one Francophone quality newspaper, this article illustrates how Flanders and Wallonia both seek to become top-performing knowledge-based economies (KBEs). The article discerns a number of discursive repertoires, such as “Catching up,” which policy actors draw on to legitimize or question the transformation of Flanders and Wallonia into KBEs. The “Catching up” repertoire places Flanders resolutely ahead of Wallonia in the global race toward knowledge, excellence, and growth, but suggests that Wallonia may, in due course, overtake Flanders as a top competitive region. Given the expectations and fears that “Catching up” evokes among Flemish and Walloon policy actors, the repertoire serves these actors as a flexible discursive resource to make sense of, and shape, their collective futures and their regional identities. The article’s findings underline the simultaneity of, and the interplay between, globalizing forces and particularizing tendencies, as Flanders and Wallonia develop with a global KBE in region-specific ways.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Kanagasundram Thiruchelvam

<div><p>Malaysia has achieved remarkable economic growth for most parts of its history but is finding itself dogged by weak technological dynamism due to structural features of the economy as well as less than satisfactory proficiency in science, technology and innovation (STI). Despite massive investments in creating STI infrastructure, education, physical infrastructure and incentives to support technology upgrading, the stark reality is that the country continues to lag behind the successful latecomers. This paper presents a brief overview on Malaysia’s STI achievements, salient features of the nation’s national innovation system (NIS), the key challenges of its NIS and some recommendations on moving forward. The central theme of the paper is that success in STI is not automatic. It must be made to happen through effective policies promoting innovation as well as innovations in policy-making itself.</p><p>    </p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Key words</span>: Malaysia; national innovation system; STI; innovation; policy making</p></div>


2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 153-157
Author(s):  
Csilla Mile ◽  
Katalin Végh ◽  
Magdolna Csath ◽  
Istvánné Éger ◽  
Mihály Ivicz ◽  
...  

Based on the European Innovation Scoreboard the study intends to provide a compara-tive assessment of the innovation performance of Hungary and Slovakia. The assessment extends to a wide range of indicators covering structural conditions, knowledge creation, innovation at the firm level, R&D expenditures. As catching-up countries Hungary's and Slovakia's innovation performances are well below the EU27 average, but the rate of im-provement is above that of the EU average, especially in case of Slovakia. The low per-formance is attributable to both lagging innovation capabilities in the business sector and an insufficient contribution of public research organizations to the innovation system. There is a need for more stable governance of the innovation system and a more evidence-based approach to policy making in the area of science, technology and innovation policy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (04) ◽  
pp. N01
Author(s):  
Mitsuru Kudo ◽  
Go Yoshizawa ◽  
Kei Kano

This paper is a reflective account of a public participation project the authors conducted in Japan in 2012–2015, as part of the central government's initiative for evidence-based policy-making. The reflection focusses on three key aspects of the project: setting a precedent of involving public participation in policy-making; embedding an official mechanism for public participation in policy-making process; and raising policy practitioners' awareness of public participation. We also discuss why we think engaging with policy practitioners, while problematic in various ways, is and will continue to be important in promoting institutionalised practice of public participation.


Author(s):  
Cristina Chaminade ◽  
Bengt-Åke Lundvall

Scientific advance and innovation are major sources of economic growth and are crucial for making development socially and environmentally sustainable. A critical question is: Will private enterprises invest sufficiently in research technological development and innovation and, if not, to what degree and how should governments engage in the support of science, technology, and innovation? While neoclassical economists point to market failure as the main rationale for innovation policy, evolutionary economists point to the role of government in building stronger innovation systems and creating wider opportunities for innovation. Research shows that the transmission mechanisms between scientific advance and innovation are complex and indirect. There are other equally important sources of innovation including experience-based learning. Innovation is increasingly seen as a systemic process, where the feedback from users needs to be taken into account when designing public policy. Science and innovation policy may aim at accelerating knowledge production along well-established trajectories, or it may aim at giving new direction to the production and use of knowledge. It may be focused exclusively on economic growth, or it may give attention to impact on social inclusion and the natural environment. An emerging topic is to what extent national perspectives continue to be relevant in a globalizing learning economy facing multiple global complex challenges, including the issue of climate change. Scholars point to a movement toward transformative innovation policy and global knowledge sharing as a response to current challenges.


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