A próxima sessão dos Seminários de Investigação de Mestrado e Doutoramento do Grupo de Investigação 2: Cidadania, Trabalho e Tecnologia terá lugar no próximo dia 8 de Abril, entre as 12h e as 13h30.

Esta sessão contará com a apresentação de Paula Espinosa Soriano (National Research Council of Spain (CSIC); University of Cordoba (UCO), Espanha) sobre o tema “Mapping The Institutional Quality of the Spanish R&D System: A Comparative Analysis”. Segue-se um debate aberto a todos os participantes.

Link de acesso: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/88056691145

ABSTRACT

The Social Sciences have the consensus that “institutions matter” and influence the capacity for development and progress of territories. Institutional arrangements are expected to determine the innovation capacities of countries, regions and to yield social outcomes. The key question is “how institutions matter?” Theoretical approaches and empirical studies have increased substantially, resulting in a very complex multidisciplinary landscape built from sociology, economics, and policy sciences, among others. The research fronts conceive the institutions as “rule of game” and their influence is measured as inputs and outputs indicators of R&D. Studies about cultural features and internal dynamics of institutions is lesser.

This research uses a cross-fertilization strategy that combines the organization sociological perspectives with the innovation systems approach in order to provide a systematic account of the role of institutions. Our background hypothesis is that the outcomes of R&D system are conditioned by the features of their institutions. The research question is how is the institutional architecture of the Spanish R&D system? How do the institutional features influence the different contributions to R&D system?

For this purpose, the methodological strategy is based on two main components. Firstly, eleven case studies have been developed. As units of analysis, we consider a set of organizations/institutions that are strategic for the R&D system. The institutions have been analysed based on institutional quality related dimensions. We define institutional quality as a set of practices that intervene in the real functioning of institutions. Namely, “organisational autonomy”, “financial autonomy”, “absence of islands of power” and “existence of external alliances”. The outcomes of R&D system have been measured on the basis of the degree of “contribution to scientific and technical knowledge of excellence” and the “resolution of socially useful problems”. Secondly, the determinants of R&D system have been analysed by using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). QCA enables to systematize the information on cases study and detect causal combinations.

These analyses allow us to explore the institutional features of the Spanish R&D system. The preliminary results show the different institutional profiles has implications on the type of contribution to the system.