|
TWO NEW DISCUSSION PAPERS FROM LINK LINK is pleased to announce the publication of two new discussion papers, available for download from the UNU-MERIT website. The first, titled “What do Complex Adaptive Systems look like and What are the Implications for Innovation Policy?”, by LINK Coordinator Andy Hall and Norman Clark, explores the use of complex adaptive systems theory in development policy analysis using a case study drawn from recent events in Uganda. It documents the changes that took place in the farming system in Soroti district during an outbreak of African cassava mosaic virus disease (ACMVD) and the subsequent decline in cassava production — the main staple food in the area. The policy implications of this story suggest a policy agenda that recognises adaptation capacity as the life blood of complex adaptive systems. Since these types of systems are found in all realms of human activity, it follows that strengthening this capacity is a key developmental priority that requires linking together new configurations of actors and resources to tackle an ever-changing set of contexts. A full version of this paper is available for download at http://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/wppdf/2009/wp2009-046.pdf. The second, titled “Tacit Knowledge and Innovation Capacity: Evidence from the Indian Livestock Sector”, is authored by Rasheed Sulaiman V., Laxmi Thummuru, Andy Hall and Jeroen Dijkman. To cope and compete in this rapidly-changing world, organisations need to access and apply new knowledge. While explicit knowledge is important, what is often critical is an organisation’s ability to create, access, share and apply the tacit or un-codified knowledge that exists among its members, its network and the wider innovation system of which it is a part. This discussion paper explores the role of tacit knowledge in livestock sector innovation capacity though the case of Visakha Dairy, a producer-owned milk marketing company in India that used tacit knowledge to innovate around challenges. The paper concludes that better management of the learning processes, through which tacit knowledge is generated, would be a more useful contribution to innovation and innovation capacity — in other words, a shift from knowledge management to learning management. A full version of this paper is available for download at http://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/wppdf/2009/wp2009-058.pdf. You can also visit our Publications Section for more details on these papers.
|
