| 1. |
- Carlsson, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Network governance of the commons
- 2006
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Ingår i: IASCP 2006 Conference Papers.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The survival of the commons is closely associated with the potential to find ways to strengthen contemporary management systems, making them more responsive to a number of complexities, like the dynamics of ecosystems and related, but often fragmented, institutions. A discussion on the desirability of finding ways to establish socalled cross-scale linkages, i.e. connections among different actors from different levels, i.e. connections among different actors from different levels of organisation and geographical settings, recently has been vitalised in the literature. The establishment of such linkages is believed to have many advantages for the sustainable management of the commons. In the same vein, concepts like adaptive management, comanagement and adaptive co-management have been discussed. In essence, these ways of organizing management to generate alternative governance systems are more closely related to network governance and social network theory, than to political administrative hierarchy. However, so far, attempts to incorporate social network analysis (SNA) in this literature have been rather few, and not particularly elaborate. In this paper, a framework for such an approach will be presented. The framework provides an analytical skeleton for the understanding of joint management and the establishment of cross-scale linkages. The relationships between structural network properties - like density, centrality and heterogeneity, and innovation in adaptive co-management systems - are highlighted as major features of high functioning management systems. The paper makes a theoretical and methodological contribution to the understanding of co-management, and thereby to the survival of the commons.
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| 2. |
- Carlsson, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Network governance of the commons
- 2008
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Ingår i: International Journal of the Commons. - : Ubiquity Press, Ltd.. - 1875-0281. ; 2:1, s. 33-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The survival of the commons is closely associated with the potential to find ways to strengthen contemporary management systems, making them more responsive to a number of complexities, like the dynamics of ecosystems and related, but often fragmented, institutions. A discussion on the desirability of finding ways to establish so-called cross-scale linkages has recently been vitalised in the literature. In the same vein, concepts like adaptive management, co-management and adaptive co-management have been discussed. In essence, these ways of organizing management incorporate an implicit assumption about the establishment of social networks and is more closely related to network governance and social network theory, than to political administrative hierarchy. However, so far, attempts to incorporate social network analysis (SNA) in this literature have been rather few, and not particularly elaborate. In this paper, a framework for such an approach will be presented. The framework provides an analytical skeleton for the understanding of joint management and the establishment of cross-scale linkages. The relationships between structural network properties - like density, centrality and heterogeneity - and innovation in adaptive co-management systems are highlighted as important to consider when crafting institutions for natural resource management. The paper makes a theoretical and methodological contribution to the understanding of co-management, and thereby to the survival of the commons.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Sandström, Annica, et al.
(författare)
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Innovative policy networks : the relation between structure and performance
- 2007
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The importance of policy networks and the need to "treat networks seriously" has long been emphasized within the field of policy analysis. However, not many attempts have been made to investigate the explanatory power of policy networks using the tools and theoretical concepts provided by Social Network analysis (SNA). Accordingly, that is the central undertaking of this paper. Is there a relationship between the structural features of policy networks, their organizing capacities and performance? A comparative case study of five networks within the sector of higher education confirms the assumption about a relationship between the variables. An innovative policy network is a network with a heterogeneous set of actors that are centrally integrated. Further, while the level of network heterogeneity is positively related to the function of resource mobilization, the level of integration facilitates the process of prioritizing. There is certainly a lot of explanatory power in the concept of policy networks and the formal analytical approach (SNA) is one way to explore its possibilities.
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| 6. |
- Sandström, Annica, et al.
(författare)
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Nätverk för regional utveckling : en fallstudie av utmaningar för praktisk samverkan mellan forskning, näringsliv och politik
- 2009
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nätverk, samverkan och innovation är vanligen förekommande koncept i diskussionen om regional utveckling. I en allt mer kunskapsbaserad ekonomi betraktas etablerandet av nätverk, bestående av privata såväl som offentliga aktörer, ofta som en förutsättning för innovativa miljöer och regional tillväxt. Många frågor kring dessa nätverk och deras utveckling är dock fortfarande obesvarade där t.ex. kunskapen om vad som kännetecknar framgångsrika nätverk samt på vilket sätt offentlig policy kan stödja framväxten av dessa är begränsad. Detta bidrag bygger på en fallstudie av ett samverkansnätverk mellan näringsliv, politik och akademi som har etablerats till följd av arbetet med Forskarstation Östra Norrbotten (FÖN). Baserat på kvalitativa intervjuer och social nätverksanalys kartläggs och analyseras nätverket bakom FÖN i syfte att besvara ett antal angelägna frågor. Hur kan FÖN- projektet karaktäriseras i termer av måluppfyllelse? I vilka avseenden har projektet varit framgångsrikt, respektive mindre framgångsrikt? Varför utsätts den här typen av samverkanskonstellationer för särskilda påfrestningar och utmaningar? Hur kan dessa övervinnas? Nätverksanalysen visar att FÖN, mycket framgångsrikt, har skapat ett stort sektorsövergripande nätverk. Analysen visar dock att de politiska och akademiska aktörerna har dominerat processen, medan näringslivets representanter i dag främst återfinns i nätverkets periferi. Detta avspelar sig även i aktörernas upplevda måluppfyllelse, där gruppen näringsliv är minst nöjd med processen och dess resultat. FÖN kan, vid studiens tidpunkt, därför närmast karaktäriseras som "en obalanserad Triple Helix". Arbetsprocessen kring FÖN illustrerar också tydligt de svårigheter som uppstår när olika organisationslogiker möts, där aktörerna har olika förväntningar på bidrag och belöningar och deras grad av åtagande varierar över tid. Det är dock rimligt att förvänta sig att aktörerna fyller olika funktioner i olika faser av processen och att ledarskapet växlar. En ökad förståelse för dessa mekanismer är därför också viktig för utformningen och utvärderingen av offentliga policyinitiativ. Offentliga satsningar i nätverksbyggande bör inriktas mot att, (1) skapa de initiala förutsättningarna för samverkan, samt (2) skapa goda förutsättningar för växlingar i ledarskap under processens gång. Den senare uppgiften är avgörande för att lovvärda initiativ ska bli långsiktigt framgångsrika nätverk för regional utveckling.
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| 7. |
- Sandström, Annica
(författare)
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Policy networks : the relation between structure and performance
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The importance of policy networks and the need to treat networks seriously have long been emphasized within the field of policy science. However, not many attempts have been made to investigate the explanatory power of policy networks using the tools and theoretical concepts provided by social network analysis (SNA). This historical limitation is the central undertaking of the current thesis, which sets out to clarify the possible relationship between network structure and the organizing capacities and performance of policy networks. Not only is the aim to elucidate how different network qualities affect performance, but the thesis also has a methodological aim of indicating in what ways SNA contributes to and enhances policy network research. Based on the theoretical concepts policy, networks, institutions, and social capital, an analytical framework is formed. A set of hypotheses regarding how network structures are believed to affect the performance of policy networks is suggested. Two particular network qualities-namely, network closure and network heterogeneity-are proposed as central for the process and its outcome. The former reflects the internal structure of a network in terms of density and centralization, while the latter reflects how the network is connected to other networks and addresses its level of diversity and cross-boundary character. The empirical part of the thesis consists of three case studies, in which policy processes within different policy sectors are studied. The empirical analysis confirms the existence of a relationship between network structure and performance. As the level of network closure increases, so does the capability to prioritize, thereby enhancing efficiency. However, the level of network heterogeneity is positively related to the function of resource mobilization, which, in turn, is a central prerequisite for improved effectiveness. The thesis concludes that a significant explanatory power exists in the concept of policy networks and that SNA is a promising way to explore its possibilities, enhancing policy research and the conceptual and theoretical developments within the field. Finally, the implications of the findings for contemporary policy making and public administration are discussed.
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| 8. |
- Sandström, Annica, et al.
(författare)
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The performance of policy networks : the relation between network structure and network performance
- 2008
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Ingår i: Policy Studies Journal. - 0190-292X .- 1541-0072. ; 36:4, s. 497-524
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The importance of policy networks has long been emphasized within the field of policy analysis. However, few attempts have been made to investigate the explanatory power of policy networks using the tools and theoretical concepts provided by social network analysis (SNA). This paper aims to address this need by determining if a relationship exists between the structural features of policy networks, their organizing capacities, and their performance. A comparative case study of four networks within the higher education policy sector confirms the assumption related to the existence of such a relation. It is proposed that an efficient and innovative policy network consists of a heterogeneous set of actors that are centrally and densely integrated. Furthermore, while the level of network heterogeneity is positively related to the function of resource mobilization in the process of policymaking, the level of centralized integration promotes the function of prioritizing. These findings are believed to contribute to our understanding of policymaking in contemporary society. The current paper indicates that a significant explanatory power exists in the concept of policy networks and that SNA is one way of advancing its possibilities.
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| 9. |
- Sandström, Annica, et al.
(författare)
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The performance of policy networks : the relation between network structure and network performance
- 2008
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Ingår i: Policy Studies Journal. - : Wiley. - 0190-292X .- 1541-0072. ; 36:4, s. 497-524
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The importance of policy networks has long been emphasized within the field of policy analysis. However, few attempts have been made to investigate the explanatory power of policy networks using the tools and theoretical concepts provided by social network analysis (SNA). This paper aims to address this need by determining if a relationship exists between the structural features of policy networks, their organizing capacities, and their performance. A comparative case study of four networks within the higher education policy sector confirms the assumption related to the existence of such a relation. It is proposed that an efficient and innovative policy network consists of a heterogeneous set of actors that are centrally and densely integrated. Furthermore, while the level of network heterogeneity is positively related to the function of resource mobilization in the process of policymaking, the level of centralized integration promotes the function of prioritizing. These findings are believed to contribute to our understanding of policymaking in contemporary society. The current paper indicates that a significant explanatory power exists in the concept of policy networks and that SNA is one way of advancing its possibilities.
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