Verena Hachmann - Knowledge Development in Transnational Projects

Transnational learning has become a buzz phrase in European policy-making and in multi-national business. Learning from the experiences of others is an idea that captivates practitioners and academics alike due to its simplicity and availability in a world that is increasingly characterised by cross-border and global connections. European regions in particular offer a diverse range of solutions to often shared challenges. This provides a knowledge base for other regions to draw on, through regional success stories, publications of best practice and EU cooperation programmes.

This book explores transnational learning and knowledge transfer in cooperation programmes and projects. It argues that a deeper understanding of learning needs to be central to the implementation of programmes and projects in order to successfully meet their desired outcomes and goals. By characterising some of the most important preconditions of transnational learning and introducing a process perspective to learning and transfer, this book identifies barriers to learning and knowledge transfer and contributes to a stronger conceptualisation of the topic. In doing so, it opens up the black-box of transnational learning and knowledge development, providing a better understanding of its inner mechanisms. It also provides practical recommendations for policy makers and practitioners involved both at the programme and project level of transnational EU initiatives. This book will be of interest to students, researchers, and policy makers alike working in geography, political studies, legal studies and European studies.

Dr. Verena Hachmann has over ten years of experience with transnational cooperation as a researcher, and as coordinator and evaluator of both projects and programmes. After having been involved in EU and Nordic cooperation, she currently works as programme coordinator for a research and cooperation programme in the transport field at the Norwegian Research Council.

Knowledge Development in
Transnational Projects

Verena Hachmann

First published 2016
by Routledge
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2016 Verena Hachmann

The right of Verena Hachmann to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Names: Hachmann, Verena, author.

Title: Knowledge development in transnational projects / by Verena Hachmann.

Description: Burlington, VT : Ashgate, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015039285| ISBN 9781472455833 (hardback : alk. paper) | Subjects: LCSH: Regional planningEuropean Union countries. | RegionalismEuropean Union countries. | European cooperation. | INTERREG (Initiative) | TransnationalismPolitical aspects.

Classification: LCC HT395.E8 H34 2016 | DDC 307.1/2dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015039285

ISBN: 978-1-472-45583-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-59115-5 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK

Learning from the experiences of others the idea captivates by its simplicity and availability in a world that is increasingly characterised by cross-border and even global connections between people, organisations and regions. In recent years, learning has featured strongly in scientific and policy discussions and publications in various disciplines and often with a European perspective. Similarly, transnational learning has become a buzzword in European policy-making, as in multi-national business. Its proliferation may be seen, for example, in the EU funding programmes that allow actors from different countries to get to know and make use of what is already tried and tested by their peers, or in calls for joint development across borders.

In this context, the diversity of European regions and their approaches to similar challenges is understood as a valuable source of knowledge and experience that can be tapped into through proceses of transnational learning allowing an efficient spread of new ideas and solutions and enabling more regions to capitalise on innovation and opportunities for economic success.

In the EU context, transnational learning is mainly stimulated through a myriad of cooperation projects funded in thematic programmes, such as those for research and innovation or regional and urban development. Seen across the various EU funding programmes, considerable amounts are invested in transnational cooperation projects, and expectations of achieving verifiable results have increased throughout the years. However, despite the increased attention to learning aspects, there is not yet much knowledge about how learning manifests itself in the practice of cooperation projects, and little is known about the inner functioning of transnational cooperation projects. This knowledge would seem of particular importance in light of findings from past programme evaluations that point to modest project achievements and the inability to fully live up to programme expectations for example, projects that do not manage to achieve all projected objectives and accomplish more moderate impacts than expected (see Panteia et al. 2010; Wink 2010; Dhr and Nadin 2007; Bhme et al. 2003). Overall, there are strong indications that many cooperation projects do not fully use the potential that lies in their transnationality, interdisciplinarity and practical orientation, while the causes for deficiencies in project achievement remain largely underexplored. Nevertheless, relevant research so far mainly concentrates on assessing the results and impacts of cooperation projects and programmes in various thematic fields. This leaves a considerable potential to further develop the knowledge dimension of transnational funding programmes by making use of the lessons learned both at programme and project level as building blocks for the future.