Irene Ramos-Vielba

Emerging forms of cross-sector collaboration in the Spanish innovation system

The Spanish innovation system has grown since the 1980s following a predominantly supply-side model where R&D capacities have concentrated in universities and public research organizations. Since then efforts have been made to stimulate cross-sector linkages. These have relied on university-industry projects, various forms of interface organizations, technology centres and programmes to encourage mobility. However, initiatives have encountered some significant drawbacks. Due to a lack of progress, a range of centres and other collaborative arrangements have emerged since 2000 to try to foster greater collaboration and firm based innovation. The process of policy change and their institutional structure are examined in the context of current and potential impact on the national innovation system. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Austerity and public sector trade union power: Before and after the crisis:

We use a power resources approach to examine the effects of the 2008–2009 financial and economic crisis on public sector trade union power in Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK, comparing structural, organizational, institutional, societal and political power resources before and after the crisis. Unions’ power resources have (at least temporarily) weakened in Spain, with a similar but less pronounced trend in the UK; whereas in Sweden and Germany, one can detect ambiguous but slightly positive signals, which reflect neither the crisis nor opposition to austerity. As well as structural, organizational and institutional power resources, societal and political resources are decisive for public sector trade unions.