|
Translearn has five specified research objectives:
1.
How and why the varieties of national business systems in
the Nordic countries have enabled surprising achievements in
terms of global market competitiveness
By
analysing and synthesizing the experience of Nordic
countries, the project will assess the relevance of these
historically developed national systems (models of
development). Particular attention will be paid to the way
Nordic citizens make use of social institutions. The
approach adopted is based on the evidence that civil
society plays an important role in all Nordic countries as a
source of agency. It enables citizens in various labour
markets and in various local economic activities to adjust
to global competitive pressures. The emergence of new
multilevel governance systems appears to play an important
role in these transformations into globally competitive
national economies. However, despite relatively similar
national socio-economic models, the learning histories to be
constructed from the cases are expected to reveal
considerable variety between the Nordic countries. When
taking steps towards becoming a competitive knowledge-based
society, and creating economic growth and jobs outside the
metropolitan areas, the local cases will inform us about
general as well as situational factors.
2.
Comparing the studied cases from the Nordic countries to
investigate the interrelations between local experiments,
transformation, and emerging new governance systems
By
using cross-national case-study designs and national
systemic comparisons the variety in the loci of dynamics
in each of the Nordic countries will be documented. The
comparative exercise will identify the type of sector,
institutional setting, and/or the level of aggregation
within the national business systems where the momentum for
off-path changes is created. Similarly, descriptions of
chain reactions in the mechanisms of unexpected outcomes
help to reveal emerging governance systems that are
supporting local actors in their experiments. Understanding
such differences across nations is crucial for implementing
effective reform policies and for encounters of
transnational learning, and these will be addressed in the
action research approach of the project. Such encounters
involve large group interventions for discussing problems
and solutions in each of the participating countries.
3.
Exploring how the Nordic transformative capacity can be
transferred to and used within other small EU countries, and
in particular new small EU members using Slovenia as a test
case
Our
assumption is that transnational learning is possible only
by translating both the experience of the past and
present situational factors to local and national contexts.
For this reason we are using only one test case from one of
the small new EU member countries. For some time Slovene
policy makers have demonstrated interest in the Nordic
socio-economic models. This positive attitude is a necessary
precondition for transnational learning. When venturing into
policy innovation, comparative exercises at both the local
and national level can serve as an important source of ideas.
4.
Extending the comparative exercise to include other
socio-economic models in Europe and the United States
This
research project is paralleled by other national and
cross-national researcher teams and networks both in Europe
and in the United States. Our research has been coordinated
through the European Group of Organizational Studies (EGOS),
and particularly its Standing Working Group (SWG) No. 1 ’The
Comparative Study of Economic Organisations’. The ultimate
goal of the research project is to converge the reporting of
these parallel projects into a conference in order to
create visibility of the diversity of change in national
business systems. An objective of such an intellectual
encounter is to deepen our understanding of the dynamics of
change in various business systems/socio-economic models.
5.
Developing constitutive elements for a grounded theory of
transnational learning
The
formation of such a theoretical approach can explicate the
problem solving processes involved in successful outcomes of
decentralised experiments. As to the dynamics of change, we
are doubtful as to the relevance of convergence models of
change despite cross-border diffusion of institutional
reforms. However, through cross-national comparisons the
deficiencies of convergence models can be disclosed. The
road map for transnational learning is expected to
demonstrate how to bypass this problem. |
