Policy learning and innovation theory: an interactive and co-evolving process

This paper explores links between the development of innovation theory since the late 1970s, and the evolution of innovation policy ideas, primarily in the 1990s. The argument is that there is a close connection between theory and policy, so that theory and policy learning can be seen as an integrated, co-evolving and interactive process. We analyse the theory-policy learning link in terms of two phases. We suggest that the complex economic crisis of the 1970s created an opening for rival analyses of events. During the 1980s, the development of evolutionary theories (pioneered by Nelson and Winter) and of empirically-based theories of the innovation process (pioneered by Nathan Rosenberg) created a framework in which policy agencies could consider heterodox ideas concerning objectives and instruments of public policy. By the early 1990s policy-makers, particularly in Europe, came to see RTD and innovation policies not just as important arenas of action in themselves, but as instruments towards more wide ranging policy objectives. The policy agencies involved, though hierarchical, were characterised by relatively open structures that permitted a degree of intellectual diversity: so organisations like the OECD and the European Commission played a central role, whereas the World Bank, for example, did not. Increasing policy interest stimulated a second phase of research in the 1990s, sponsored both nationally and by various EU programmes, in which expanding the innovation-oriented knowledge base became a significant objective for policy-makers. The paper argues that the theory-policy link has been central to the intellectual development of this field, which would have been impossible within the constraints of existing disciplinary structures and university funding systems. At the same time the analytical achievements have permitted a wide expansion in the conceptualization of policy targets and in the design of instruments available to policy-makers. In a sense, this is itself an evolutionary story: of a crisis and a conjunctural niche that permitted the creation and (so far) survival of a set of diverse and certainly non-conventional ideas.     

Combining entrepreneurial and scientific performance in academia: towards a compounded and reciprocal Matthew-effect?

The increase of entrepreneurial activity within academia has raised concerns that the research orientation of universities might become ‘contaminated’ by the application-oriented needs of industry. Empirical evidence on this concern is scarce and ambiguous. We examine whether entrepreneurial and scientific performance in academia can be reconciled. Our empirical findings (KU Leuven, Belgium) suggest that both activities do not hamper each other; engagement in entrepreneurial activities coincides with increased publication outputs, without affecting the nature of the publications involved. As resources increase, this interaction becomes more significant, pointing towards a Matthew-effect. We finally suggest that balancing both activities further depends on the institutional policies deployed.     

Publication and patent behavior of academic researchers: Conflicting, reinforcing or merely co-existing?

Increasing entrepreneurial activity within academia has raised concerns that the number of publications added to the scientific commons might be reduced or that academic research would be directed exclusively towards the application-oriented needs of industry. In the case of academic inventions, the potential conflict between public- and private-oriented considerations seems most salient. In this contribution, we examine whether the publication behavior of academic inventors (at K.U. Leuven) differs from their colleagues (non-inventors) working within similar fields of research. Our analysis reveals that inventors publish significantly more. Moreover, no empirical evidence was found for the ‘skewing problem’. These findings not only suggest the co-existence of both activities; they may actually reinforce each other.     

Video recording lectures: Student and professor perspectives

This paper investigated the use of special eyeglasses designed with a built‐in video camera and microphone for the purpose of recording classroom activities from the point of view of both the professor and the student. The aim is to eliminate the need for dedicated video recording in the classroom. This paper reviewed the various techniques used to record a lecture and highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of each. It also presented 10 activities from the point of view of the student and the professor, which may play a role in improving students' understanding of the lecture. The videos produced by the professor and student cameras were reviewed in terms of their effectiveness and usefulness with regard to the 10 activities. The results were analysed and conclusions were drawn based upon the findings of this study.     

Learning for state‐building: capacity development,education and fragility

This paper examines capacity development in education in fragile contexts. This is a current concern for donors and development partners, but there has been little work on the nexus between capacity, education and fragility. The paper examines the concept of fragility and the particular problems in education associated with fragile contexts. The key argument – and tension – is that the focus should be on restoring state functions, yet this may be in a context of severe difficulties for donor agencies or NGOs of aligning with the government. The paper outlines some of the choices to be made in deciding on a focus for capacity development in education, examining the levels for intervention (individual, organisational, cultural and political) and the different sectors (administration and education institutions). It provides examples of the different sorts of areas in capacity development in education arenas that would address specific features of fragility, but draws attention to the need for research and indicators of the different impact of these strategies. The paper concludes with an analysis of what appears to be necessary to ensure that capacity development efforts are sustainable.     

Surgeons as medical school educators: an untapped resource

Despite extensive experience teaching residents, surgeons are an untapped resource for educating medical students. We hypothesized that by involving surgeons as teachers earlier in the medical school curriculum, medical students' interest in surgery will increase and their opinions of surgeons will improve. Five programs designed to involve surgeons as educators in the medical school curriculum were implemented. The first program, started in 2008, introduced surgical faculty into the first-year medical student anatomy dissection laboratories. Other programs initiated in 2008 included: Surgical Clinical Correlates in Anatomy, which involved faculty teaching through cadaver surgery; Clinical Pathologic Conferences in Anatomy, a surgeon-led conference based on clinical cases; and a women's faculty-student mentorship program. Table Rounds, a surgeon-led anatomy review that used clinical scenarios to quiz students was begun in 2009. All five programs were successfully integrated into the medical school curriculum. While student opinion of surgeons as educators improved, there were no significant changes in student interest in surgery as a career nor change in performance on written examinations over the Anatomy content covered by the surgeons. Surgical faculty and trainees can be integrated into the medical school curriculum. Involving surgeons as educators earlier in the medical school curriculum may have longer term effects than could be observed in this study. At a minimum, the experience improved student opinion of surgeons as educators.     

Adept through adaptation: Third culture individuals’ interpersonal sensitivity

This study evaluated the interpersonal sensitivity of third culture individuals, defined as people who lived in a country other than that of their nationality during their developmental years, by comparing them to mono-cultured individuals. While the notion that third culture individuals develop enhanced perceptual skills as a result of intercultural adaptation is widely accepted in popular and professional literature, this assertion has not been empirically tested. Previous research on intercultural communication competence and adaptation has almost exclusively focused on intercultural exposure among adults. This study collected data from 142 individuals using web-based surveys. The instruments measured two aspects of participants’ interpersonal sensitivity: social and emotional sensitivity. Results showed that third culture individuals have significantly higher social sensitivity than mono-cultured individuals, while mono-cultured individuals reported higher emotional sensitivity. Additionally, no significant correlation was found between greater intercultural experience and increased interpersonal sensitivity.     

The heart of ESD: personally engaging learners with sustainability

Education for sustainable development aims to help learners engage with the concept of sustainability. This paper considers whether specific values-centred sustainability training techniques can promote personal engagement with sustainability when undertaken by higher education students on an extra-curricular voluntary basis. Conducted over an eight-month period, the study evaluates the impact of the training on 67 second year undergraduate design and engineering students at Plymouth University using pre- and post-training values and worldview scales measured against a control group. Four months after the training, one-to-one interviews were conducted with a subset of the sample. A quantitative analysis of the values and worldview surveys indicates that a degree of values clarification and mind-set shift resulted from the training, with design students appearing more receptive than those studying engineering. This finding was reinforced in the interview data, which illustrates where and how learners engaged with the training and provides examples of learners deep thought, reflection and mind-set changes.