The cluster concept has had great influence on national and regional policies for growth and innovation in Sweden since it was introduced in the late 1990s. This article argues…
Abstract
The cluster concept has had great influence on national and regional policies for growth and innovation in Sweden since it was introduced in the late 1990s. This article argues that while the cluster concept has been relatively uncontested on the national policy arena, it has been contested on the regional arena regarding its meaning and proper use. We scrutinize this contestation as a matter of power struggles between different actors concerning the preferential right of interpretation of which organizations, areas and innovations are to be considered as important in policies and practices promoting clusters. The article thus highlights the tricky balance act performed by policy makers and civil servants when deciding on prioritization versus diversification. The article contributes to the further development of both policies and theories on growth and innovation by empirically mapping and discussing the impact of power struggles on clusters as pathways to innovation. In order to exemplify these struggles, our study draws upon two separate studies: one of how the cluster concept has been used as a policy measure over time on national and regional level in Sweden (Säll, 2012) and another of the organization of alternative clusters by Women Resource Centers throughout Sweden (Lindberg et al., 2012). Comparing these two cases makes it evident that the perceptions of clusters that harmonize with prevalent hegemonic discourses of growth and innovation have to large extent enjoyed the preferential right of interpretation, however are at the same time challenged by alternative conceptions of clusters. When highlighted in relation to existing research on innovation, growth policy and power relations, the two empirical examples stand out as interesting cases of how innovation policy has been introduced as academic theory, translated to a political context and subject for contestations that has changed the initial meaning of the concept. Ultimately, it is concluded that the pathways to innovation in the Nordic countries are paradoxical, due to the paradoxical pathway of policies and practices to evoke innovation and change as the same as preserving traditional regional power structures.
A web of legal cases surrounding key opposition figures, as well as rejections of several opposition candidate lists, has turned the pre-election period into a multi-front…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB265748
ISSN: 2633-304X
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Geographic
Topical
The ruling coalition won a projected 42 out of 45 electoral departments, including the capital, Dakar, a stronghold of imprisoned mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation). The coalition…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB223605
ISSN: 2633-304X
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This follows a highly controversial and contested postponement of the polls initially scheduled for February 25. A record 19 candidates are vying for the presidency, including…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB285989
ISSN: 2633-304X
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This means that he will not face an election until 2019, if he chooses to stand again. Meanwhile, a constitutional referendum on whether to limit future presidents to two terms of…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB208523
ISSN: 2633-304X
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SENEGAL: Fears will grow over emerging clampdown
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-ES238189
ISSN: 2633-304X
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Poul Andersen and Anne Bøllingtoft
Despite growing interest in clusters role for the global competitiveness of firms, there has been little research into how globalization affects cluster‐based firms' (CBFs) use of…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite growing interest in clusters role for the global competitiveness of firms, there has been little research into how globalization affects cluster‐based firms' (CBFs) use of local knowledge resources and the combination of local and global knowledge used. Using the cluster's knowledge base as a mediating variable, the purpose of this paper is to examine how globalization affected the studied firms' use of local cluster‐based knowledge, integration of local and global knowledge, and networking capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative case studies of nine firms in three clusters strongly affected by increasing global division of labour.
Findings
The paper suggests that globalization has affected how firms use local resources and combine local and global knowledge. Unexpectedly, clustered firms with explicit procedures and established global fora for exchanging knowledge were highly active in local knowledge use, whereas CBFs characterized by a more implicit knowledge base did not use localized knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
The study is exploratory and covers three clusters in one small and open developed economy. Further corroboration through replicated studies and possibly triangulation with quantitative studies would further develop the understanding on how globalization impacts on the internal organization of CBFs.
Practical implications
For policy makers, cluster policies should be reconsidered if the role of clusters differs from what has been expected so far. From being self‐contained systems which only links to the outside world in the extremities of the local value chain, cluster activities now unfolds in complex production networks around the world, entailing the development and/or integration of clusters in both developing and developed countries.
Originality/value
Several studies have examined the changing role of clusters in the evolving global division of labour. However, research is lacking that addresses the challenges of transformation from the level of the CBF and how these may be affected by cluster evolution. The paper takes a micro‐oriented perspective and focus on clusters in Denmark, a small and mature economy.
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The purpose of this editorial is to outline the historical and conceptual context in which the research into workplace learning as a research field is emerging.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this editorial is to outline the historical and conceptual context in which the research into workplace learning as a research field is emerging.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper in an essayistic knowledge sociology perspective parallels developments in the nature of work and the growing interest in human resources, and hence learning. It confronts the general stereotypes of work with the actual multiplicity of different work domains.
Findings
The actual sample of articles is characterized briefly, drawing attention to the epistemological value of concrete studies of different learning experiences in different types of work.
Originality/value
The perspective of the editorial is mainly to spur the reflection of researchers in the field to the interrelation between theoretical issues and practical engagement in learning enterprises.
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This chapter presents a case of the adoption of the Bologna Process (BP) outside the boundaries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) – in Cameroon. The adoption of the BP…
Abstract
This chapter presents a case of the adoption of the Bologna Process (BP) outside the boundaries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) – in Cameroon. The adoption of the BP lines of action has triggered higher education (HE) reforms in Cameroon including reforms to enhance graduate employability. In Cameroon, graduate employability is promoted through ‘professionalisation’ of degree programmes – which seeks to prepare students with employment-ready skills and competences capable of adapting to the fast and highly competitive global economy either as job seekers or job creators. With the use of policy documents, existing literature and interviews with policymakers and university officials, this chapter examines the framing of employability from the perspective of social justice and neoliberal discourses. The analysis highlights the idea that while the overall goal is to promote social justice by enhancing the employability skills of all graduates to gain employment through a diverse set of employability pathways, some of the pathways are dominated by neoliberal ideologists discussed in this chapter via mode of governance, commodifying training and commodifying access. The different focuses and operationalisation of social justice and neoliberalism reveal tension as social justice emphasises training for all while neoliberalism emphasises training only for those students with the purchasing power.