B Perry

Governance, Science Policy and Regions: An Introduction

When the first Regional Science and Industry Council was launched in the North West of England in 2001, press releases proclaimed that ‘science history’ was being made (NWDA, 2001). Awave of institutional creation and policy innovation followed across the English regions, accompanied by the hope that investments in the science base would deliver long-awaited improvements in regional economic performance and thus reduce gaps in prosperity across the country (PERRY, 2007; CHARLES and BENNEWORTH, 2001). Developments in the English regions in the early 2000s have mirrored processes elsewhere in Europe and internationally, where science policy governance is being re-scaled and re-shaped in response to the ‘new’ dynamics of the knowledge economy and the neo-liberal imperative to compete for and concentrate increasingly scarce public resources. This special issue subjects these processes to muchneeded critical analysis. Such is the urgency with which the ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality has been adopted at European, national and regional levels that policy is proceeding without adequate reflection or theoretical analysis. All too often science is seen as ‘economic saviour’, in an attempt to emulate wellknown exemplars and in pursuit of the ‘high-tech fantasy’ (MASSEY et al., 1992). Little consideration has been given to constraining and enabling factors on the effective formulation and implementation of policy in terms of governance structures, policy processes or organizational capacity. It is here that the special issue finds its place. It brings together contributions from England, France, Finland, Japan, Germany and Canada to examine how the governance of science policy is changing, what different regional approaches to building science regions can be seen and the extent to which there are positive effects of these changes on policy outcomes relating to regional economic development, distribution and concentration of resource (SHARP, 1998; HERAUD, 2003; CHARLES, 2006). The dynamic relationship between science, governance and economy is examined via interdisciplinary perspectives through which divergence and national difference, as well as convergence and homogeneity can be seen ( JASANOFF, 1997; SENKER et al., 1999; CROUCH and STREECK, 2002). In so doing, it informs the ongoing debate about forms of territorial re-scaling in relation to policy responsibilities (BRENNER, 2004) and the ways in which the dynamics of a globalizing, regionalizing ‘knowledge capitalism’ (DRUCKER, 1998) are filtered through different national–regional systems of governance. This special issue takes its inspiration from research funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Science in Society programme on ‘Building Science Regions in the European Research Area’ (RES-151-25-0037). The specific focus of this work was on processes of regionalization in science policy in Europe. However, we have sought to enlarge this perspective through engagement with a wider body of research from Asia and North America, funded by a variety of organizations at European, national and regional levels. The ESRC project sets the tone for the special issue in terms of the overarching rationale and common issues examined throughout the articles; furthermore, the themes chosen in this introduction reflect the main conclusions of that work. The aim is not only to further the theoretical debate on the dynamic interaction between science, governance and economy, but also to contribute to policy debates as a precursor to more meaningful and effective public policy processes.

Urban knowledge exchange: devilish dichotomies and active intermediation

Knowledge exchange and innovation have a strong local dimension and require face-to-face relationships and collaborations between universities, industries and governments. Cities are turning to the knowledge base to enhance their own socio-economic development in the face of global competition and continuing gaps in prosperity. This paper examines the contexts, challenges and consequences of these shifts. First, the paper considers theoretical and policy rationales which create the conditions for the emergence of knowledge-based urban development (KBUD). Second, it highlights three dichotomies that produce tensions in the practice of knowledge exchange at an urban level. Finally, the paper considers the capacities and capabilities of different urban areas to respond to contemporary challenges through processes of active intermediation. In conclusion, this paper provides an agenda-setting provocation for the co-production of sustainable knowledge-based urban futures between academia, policy and practice.

Science, Society and the university: a paradox of values

The existence of conflicting messages on the role and status of the university is linked to a wider paradox of values about science in society. Value is attributed to science and assumed by the university in the context of the move to knowledge‐based economies and societies, yet this has not been accompanied by a systematic and balanced debate about the values that should underpin socio‐economic change. Questions are then raised about both the effectiveness of public policy and the role of universities in society. A reconnection between the application and production of knowledge is needed, as well as the reinsertion of a normative framework for guiding and shaping change within universities. Only under such conditions can a meaningful debate on the roles of universities as places of expectation and spaces for reflection be realized.The existence of conflicting messages on the role and status of the university is linked to a wider paradox of values about science in society. Value is attributed to science and assumed by the university in the context of the move to knowledge‐based economies and societies, yet this has not been accompanied by a systematic and balanced debate about the values that should underpin socio‐economic change. Questions are then raised about both the effectiveness of public policy and the role of universities in society. A reconnection between the application and production of knowledge is needed, as well as the reinsertion of a normative framework for guiding and shaping change within universities. Only under such conditions can a meaningful debate on the roles of universities as places of expectation and spaces for reflection be realized.

Cities, Knowledge and Universities: Transformations in the Image of the Intangible

The current higher educational landscape in the UK is marked by complex sets of expectations, accompanied by efforts to encourage universities into diversifying and stratifying functions. Yet the picture is far from clear and a number of tensions and contradictions remain, such as in relation to incentivisation and reward structures which impact differentially on universities. For universities that attempt to translate these agendas into meaningful actions at the local level, the result is a mixture of enthusiasm, engagement, retreat and defence. This article will demonstrate such processes in action through a discussion of the ongoing “Manchester––Knowledge Capital” initiative, which seeks to bring local and regional partners and universities together to create a critically acclaimed global pivot to the emerging knowledge economy.

Developing and testing the urban sustainable development goal’s targets and indicators – a five-city study

The campaign for the inclusion of a specifically urban goal within the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was challenging. Numerous divergent interests were involved, while urban areas worldwide are also extremely heterogeneous. It was essential to minimize the number of targets and indicators while still capturing critical urban dimensions relevant to human development. It was also essential to test the targets and indicators. This paper reports the findings of a unique comparative pilot project involving co-production between researchers and local authority officials in five diverse secondary and intermediate cities: Bangalore (Bengaluru), India; Cape Town, South Africa; Gothenburg, Sweden; Greater Manchester, United Kingdom; and Kisumu, Kenya. Each city faced problems in providing all the data required, and each also proposed various changes to maximize the local relevance of particular targets and indicators. This reality check provided invaluable inputs to the process of finalizing the urban SDG prior to the formal announcement of the entire SDG set by the UN Secretary-General in late September 2015.

The Future of Urban Sociology

Over the course of the 20th century, sociologists have made rich and diverse contributions to urban studies, from the Chicago School with their focus on urban ecology, to the ‘radicalism’ of New Urban Sociology emphasizing neo- Weberian and neo-Marxist approaches (Bulmer, 1984; Faberman, 1979; Saunders, 1986). In both phases, sociologists positioned themselves as prominent critics and reformists of urban society, intimately connected with the identification and resolution of endemic problems and social issues. The aim of this symposium is to explore whether recent years have seen a crisis in urban sociology and to build an understanding of future potential in the context of historical trajectory and current challenges. Such issues have been the subjects of much debate. For this reason, joint sessions of the British and American Sociological Associations in March and July 2001 were dedicated to the discussion of the role and future of urban sociology, from which this symposium draws its inspiration (Perry and Harding, 2002).

Revealing and re-valuing cultural intermediaries in the ‘real’ creative city: Insights from a diary-keeping exercise

From critics and cultural commentators to professionals who mediate between production and consumption for economic gain, the term ‘cultural intermediaries’ has been variously interpreted over recent decades. Often framed as self-interested entrepreneurs seeking to maximise economic value the wider set of political, social and moral motivations of cultural workers have been often overlooked.Drawing on a diary-keeping exercise with 20 cultural workers in Greater Manchester and Birmingham in 2013, we suggest that a ‘third’ wave of studies of cultural intermediaries is needed, which emphasises socially engaged practices and non-economic values. The study reveals a field of cultural work which mediates between professionalised and everyday cultural ecologies, one which is often invisible and undervalued. Combining methodological insights into diary-keeping as a reflexive exercise, the study suggests that we should reclaim and re-value the term ‘cultural intermediary’ to make visible this socially grounded cultural work, particularly in the current era of austerity and cuts to the arts in England.

Universities, Reflexivity and Critique: uneasy parallels in practice

There are profound changes affecting universities. Under pressure from the forward march of neo-liberalism, there is a process of forgetting about the origins of the university and its distinctive place in society. Whilst responses by university management often amplify these consequences, there are similar tendencies within academic professional cultures. Both combine to enable forms of power to individualise issues around the pursuit of recognition for global excellence. Within universities, this creates an organisational space or ‘missing middle’ that needs to be the subject of reflexive consideration and action in order that the unique role of the university in society is not lost. This article examines these forces in order to contribute to a critical reflexive practice to resist current forces and develop resistant and imaginative cultures.

Contours and conflicts in scale: Science, knowledge and urban development

Increasing attention is being focused upon the roles of cities in knowledge-based development in the context of debates around the relationships between science, technology and innovation and economic growth. The article argues that underlying assumptions and expectations of knowledge, space and place are important in understanding the content and form of responses within different places. The example of the English Science Cities is drawn upon to highlight issues over dominant knowledge-based discourses and the potential for alternative responses to be formulated. Pressures for knowledge-based success are mediated through national contexts, informed by existing paradigms and assumptions, and their effects are varied according to governance structures. Without proper political consideration of the dynamics between knowledge, science and place, more inclusive and sustainable initiatives for knowledge-based growth will not be forthcoming.

The future of urban sociology: report of joint sessions of the British and American Sociological Associations

This article reports on two joint sessions of the British and American Sociological Associations held during the course of 2001 as a first step toward more structured dialogue and debate between the two national associations. Drawing on the comments of a number of leading academics on both sides of the Atlantic, this paper presents a series of discussions about the role and future of urban sociology. It explores the challenges and opportunities offered to urban sociology by increasing interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity in the field of urban studies as a whole. It then explores the role of sociology in understanding the relationship between contemporary processes of globalization and urban change and the degree to which this constitutes a new dynamic core of sociological theory and research. The paper reveals that there are a variety of alternative futures for urban sociology and there would appear to be little agreement on one specific route, nor on how to get there. Urban sociology continues to face a variety of challenges and more debate on its future trajectory is clearly needed but it remains a vital and expanding sub-field. Copyright Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2002.