Governance And Knowledge

Patent offices around the world have granted millions of patents to multinational companies. Patent offices are rarely studied and yet they are crucial agents in the global knowledge economy. Based on a study of forty-five rich and poor countries that takes in the world's largest and smallest offices, Peter Drahos argues that patent offices have become part of a globally integrated private governance network, which serves the interests of multinational companies, and that the Trilateral Offices of Europe, the USA and Japan make developing country patent offices part of the network through the strategic fostering of technocratic trust. By analysing the obligations of patent offices under the patent social contract and drawing on a theory of nodal governance, the author proposes innovative approaches to patent office administration that would allow developed and developing countries to recapture the public spirit of the patent social contract.

The book argues that knowledge governance is a distinct issue in management and organization because knowledge processes differ on several dimensions from routine and more traditional processes.

This open access book focuses on theoretical and empirical intersections between governance, knowledge and space from an interdisciplinary perspective. The contributions elucidate how knowledge is a prerequisite as well as a driver of governance efficacy, and conversely, how governance affects the creation and use of knowledge and innovation in geographical context. Scholars from the fields of anthropology, economics, geography, public administration, political science, sociology, and organization studies provide original theoretical discussions along these interdependencies. Moreover, a variety of empirical chapters on governance issues, ranging from regional and national to global scales and covering case studies in Australia, Europe, Latina America, North America and South Africa demonstrate that geography and space are not only important contexts for governance that affect the contingent outcomes of governance blueprints. Governance also creates spaces. It affects the geographical confines as well as the quality of opportunities and constraints that actors enjoy to establish legitimate and sustainable ways of social and environmental co-existence.

Investigates the effects of research in the field of international development.. Examines the consequences of 23 research projects funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre in developing countries. Shows how research influence public policy and decision-making and how can contribute to better governance.

"The book not only gives a clear picture of the policy andstrategic framework of PFI/PPP projects, the governance andknowledge management issues through different phases from planning,design development to operation and service delivery and theprocesses associated with each phase, but practical tools,methodologies and capabilities needed to deliver PFI/PPP projectsin a range of sectors are also explained. It clearly demonstratesthe key imperatives that are the hallmark of successful programmesand projects no matter what there method of funding or delivery. I have no doubt that, in undertaking the programmes and projectsthat I am responsible for delivering and in undertaking OGC GatewayReviews, to support clients delivering their own programmes andprojects, I will draw on the material contained in thisbook." —From the Foreword by Rob Smith, Director of GatewayReviews and Estates & Facilities, Department of Health There is a growing demand worldwide for transport, healthcare,education, energy and water infrastructure. However, governmentresources are often insufficient to meet the needs of new projectsand to upgrade existing infrastructure. Private participation inpublic infrastructure is therefore increasing but the respectiveroles of the public and private sectors are the subject of intensedebate. This has led to renewed interest in public-privatepartnerships in developed and developing countries. Governance and Knowledge Management for Public-PrivatePartnerships shows how effective governance and knowledgemanagement can improve the performance of PFI/PPP projects. Itprovides an in-depth understanding of different dimensions ofgovernance and how they affect project management structure,processes, and decision-making ability of actors and teams involvedin PFI/PPP projects. The role of knowledge management strategy, theneed for benchmarking knowledge management efforts, specific toolsand methodologies for capturing, sharing and applying knowledge toaccelerate learning and capacity building are also examined. The book is essential reading for all those involved in PFI/PPPprojects, including policy makers, industry practitioners,academics and students. The practical tools for governance andknowledge management it offers make this book particularly usefulfor consultants, contractors and client organisations.

Today Learning Organizations are shaped by collective knowledge and the existence of teams and groups of people that are continuously developing their capacity and ability to create results. Knowledge-based organizations understand the importance of continually learning at all levels and facilitate learning for their members through empowering people, encouraging collaboration, and promoting open dialogue. Organizational management issues have become strategic and fundamental in the collection and sharing of data and information and are recognized as challenging to both public and private organizations around the world. This has created the need to knowledge governance mechanisms to support Knowledge Management practices in organizations.For this governance, the mechanisms and procedures that encompass Knowledge Management, advancing beyond the traditional Corporate Governance (CorpGov) model, have been consolidated into a new governance model described as Knowledge Governance (KGov). Such model considers the processes of the knowledge related to the use, creation, retention, integration and sharing. In order to implement governance, it is essential to develop competencies and establish corporate policies and structures focusing on respect for common interests and collective goals. In this context, mechanisms must be created for the creation, sharing, storage and transfer of knowledge, making changes happen in synergy and adding value to the organization as a whole.The book covers the newly emerging area of knowledge governance and Learning Organizations and expands our understanding of Learning Organizations and their ability to acquire, create and share knowledge while continually examining organizational behavioral issues affecting their productivity.

This book examines the politics of technology, and provides a detailed analysis of developments and debates within the European Union, international trade and governance. An important empirical contribution to the literature on the relations between politics and technology, this volume contains empirical statistical studies based on a wide variety of different types of data, and includes expert contributions from different academic disciplines. With a selection of detailed case studies, this book is divided into three main sections: The first part presents contributions on the role of domestic national policies for innovation and idea diffusion, including studies on Japan and the European Union. The second part takes a critical look at how the international system of intellectual property rights access to knowledge, opportunities for development and health improvement, examining the TRIPS agreement and the European patent system. The third part focuses on the role of foreign direct investment in innovation and idea diffusion, with studies on a wide range of cases using different, novel data material. Governance and Knowledge will be of interest to students, scholars and policy-makers of European politics, political economy, international trade, governance and economics.

Diane Stone addresses the network alliances or partnerships of international organisations with knowledge organisations and networks. Moving beyond more common studies of industrial public-private partnerships, she addresses how, and why, international organisations and global policy actors need to incorporate ideas, expertise and scientific opinion into their 'global programmes'. Rather than assuming that the encouragement for 'evidence-informed policy' in global and regional institutions of governance is an indisputable public good, she queries the influence of expert actors in the growing number of part-private or semi-public policy networks.