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Can regions learn? Critical assessment of regions as arenas for regional development

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Summary

The article locates work on regional development, and in particular action research, within the context of debates on neo-liberalism and democracy. The “learning regions” approach is explored, but the scale of the challenges to overcome is emphasised.

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Notes

  1. Note that public-administrative and institutional changes at the national and regional level, like the introduction of New-Public Management not are discussed in this paper.

  2. See Kvåle (2005/this special issue) for an extensive discussion of the ambiguity of the Value Creation concept.

  3. The concept “learning region” was a central component in the Agder-modules application for the Norwegian national research programme Value Creation 2010 (Johnsen and Normann 2001).

  4. Point stems from a comment made by Morten Levin on an earlier version of this paper.

  5. Insight from Benneworth (2003).

  6. Also known as Brundtland Report.

  7. http://www.ohmae-report.com/pro/bioe.html

  8. http://www.eng.ohio-state. edu/news/coe_news/nie/nie751/751_fromdean.html

  9. In his presentation, he mentions research organisations such as Battelle, NASA-Glenn, Wright Labs., OSU, Akron, CWRU, which all are technological research firms.

  10. Point stems from a comment made by Ann Martin on an earlier version of this paper.

  11. Please note that a lengthier discussion of a specific institutional arrangement labelled ‘Reflexive Democracy’ designed to encompass just such institutional and relational principle is discussed in ‘ Reflexive Democracy—Creating Actionable Knowledge through Regional Development Coalitions’ (Johnsen et al. 2005/this volume).

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  1. Agder Research, Service box 415, Gimlemoen, 4604, Kristiansand, Norway

    Roger Normann

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  1. Roger Normann
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Correspondence to Roger Normann.

Additional information

This paper was originally submitted as an exam paper to the EDWOR Ph.D. program. Later developed and presented at workshop on “Regional Innovation”, on 10th December, at Kingston University. This is the third revision of this paper. Thanks to all who have commented on this and previous versions.

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Normann, R. Can regions learn? Critical assessment of regions as arenas for regional development. AI & Soc 19, 520–542 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-005-0322-9

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