Living Labs as an Approach to Strengthen Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems

Climate and ecosystem changes, economic and policy imperatives, food system pressures, and multiple societal expectations pose complex challenges for sustainable farming. A key problem is determining an effective and efficient approach to enable innovation in complex, multi-stakeholder settings. One approach currently receiving much policy attention and investment in the EU is ‘Living Labs’ which bring together public and private stakeholders to co-create, validate, and test new services, business ideas, markets and technologies. However, the analysis, monitoring and evaluation of Living Labs and their effectiveness and policy value in different contexts is limited. The AgriLink Living Labs were undertaken between 2018 and 2021 in Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Spain to co-create innovation support for improving agricultural sustainability. Our evaluation suggests that four inter-related critical conditions are needed for the success of Living Labs. These relate to the complexity of the challenge, the enabling environment, the proficient facilitation and the energy to move. These conditions influence the functioning of the Living Lab and we discuss the implications for policymakers and practitioners for the deployment of Living Labs in agricultural settings.     

The evolution of the Swedish market model

Sweden historically pioneered many aspects of a modern market economy, hosting the first known share company, the first European credit notes, and the first central bank. Anders Chydenius's booklet Den nationella vinsten (The National Gain) was printed in 1765, 11 years before Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. Sweden was early in extending to women the rights to pursue professions and own businesses. Today, Sweden and its Nordic neighbours evince an unusual combination of high taxes and some of the freest economies in the world. Another characteristic feature is long-standing trust, which facilitates investment and cooperation. It also allows for decentralised decision-making, a characteristic feature of Nordic business management. Sweden's unusual high-trust culture significantly affects economic activity.     

Organizational Agility of Family Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Evidence from the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

International Advances in Economic Research -