Boundaries of the Europe of Knowledge

Abstract

This panel aims at contributing to the analysis of how Europe of knowledge is redefined and transformed at times of crises (i.e. the meaning of the Europe of knowledge project, its relative position to other European policies, the alteration of governance mechanisms etc.). In this panel, we choose to investigate these potential redefinition and transformation through the question of the boundaries of the Europe of knowledge. Different types of boundaries will be considered. Some contributions of the panel will study geographical boundaries: Is there a renewed importance to national boundaries and competences or on the contrary a mechanism of more delegation to the European level (searching for more funding)? What about the Europe of knowledge in relations to other regions in the world? What initiatives are in place beyond the European Union and how do they impact developments in Europe (e.g. how have they evolved with the crisis)? Secondly, this panel aims to explore what is at play at sectoral boundaries. As a segment of European policy space, Europe of knowledge incorporates different policy sectors connected to the production, transmission and diffusion of knowledge. The boundaries between these sectors (for instance, higher education and research, education and lifelong learning, research and innovation) might be reinterpreted with the actual economic and political crisis, they might as well be a place of friction and reallocation of power. Finally, this panel would also consider to what extent the crisis is affecting the public / private boundaries in the Europe of knowledge. Can we observe that knowledge policies are understood as problem solvers to restore employment and competitiveness and therefore remain a priority for public intervention, or can we rather observe strategies to foster the mobilization of the private sector in times of cut of public spending? Or both combined?

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