Building a Knowledge-Driven Society: Scholar Participation and Governance in Large Public Works Projects

Abstract

Previous studies have found no relationship between scholar participation and public project performance. Building on the work of Lindblom (1977; 1990), I propose a model depicting scholars' roles in social organizations and governance. A study of thirty‐two cases of large public works projects in China and seventeen projects in thirteen other countries shows a moderately positive relationship. The study further shows the greatest influence on project success occurs when participating scholars serve as information brokers and entrepreneurial activity organizers. Successful scholar participation occurred through five working principles: (1) there is dispersed and specialized knowledge production; (2) there is dispersed and asymmetric knowledge possession; (3) knowledge‐driven volitions and consensus are criteria for knowledge; (4) the satisfaction of diverse and heterogeneous individual needs is realized through knowledge‐driven institutional arrangements; and (5) there are multiple methods of knowledge application.[1] In general, scholar participation seems to be more effective in projects in which there is low political intervention, and in village and county projects. The results of the study provide a theoretical and empirical foundation for further research on scholar participation in social organizations.

Types and Mechanisms of Science‐Driven Institutional Change: The case of desertification control in northern China

“…Bush, 1987;Hayek, 1960;Scott, 1995) have argued that institutions or orders are bearers or carriers of dispersed knowledge, values and culture in society. The important role of knowledge and scholars in institutional change has also been emphasized in many previous studies (Hayek, 1945;North, 1990;Veblen, 1904;Yang, 2009Yang, , 2010aYang, , 2010bYang, , 2012Yang and Wu, 2012). Ruttan et al (Ruttan, 1978, 1984Ruttan and Hayami, 1984) stressed the importance of technical change and social science knowledge in induced institutional change.…”

“…Many studies have indicated that it is not only possible but also useful to identify a set of necessary design principles or core elements for the study of institutional arrangements and changes (Lindblom, , ; Ostrom, ; Yang, , ; Yang and Wu, , ; Yang, ). From the perspective of the science and technology used, participants, and rules influenced, we determined nine working principles to explain the success of some science‐driven institutional changes.…”

“…These materials were also used for a comparative analysis and synthesis of the 13 non‐field‐study cases, which were selected based on recommendations of experts in the field, their representativeness of desertification control and the potential of obtaining research data. Thus, in addition to the scientific research design, the diverse types of respondent and the large sample size ( N = 4406), which could guarantee high consistency between respondents’ perception and actual situations of desertification control (Yang, , ; Yang et al ., , ; Yang and Wu, ), the supplemental data based on interviews, observations, archives and literature for the 12 field study cases and the 13 non‐field‐study cases also reduced the deviations between respondents’ perception and actual situations of desertification control.…”

“…Previous studies found that, in addition to biophysical conditions such as longitude, latitude and annual average evaporation (Gobin et al, 2000;Miller et al, 2010;Stringer et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2010;Yang, 2009;Yang et al, 2013;Yang and Wu, 2012), the role of science in desertification control could be influenced by (1) the types of scientific method of desertification control and their relationships and accompanying extension services (Watson et al, 2008;Yang, 2009;Yang et al, 2013), (2) the types of social participant and their interactions in desertification control programs (Beunen and Opdam, 2011;Chittenden, 2011;Nelson et al, 2008;Pellant et al, 2004;Reynolds et al, 2007;Seely, 1998;Seely and Moser, 2004;Thomas and Twyman, 2004;van Rooyen, 1998;Wang et al, 2010;Watson et al, 2008;Yang, 2009Yang, , 2012Yang et al, , 2013 and (3) the types of law, regulation and rule of desertification control and their relationships Barrera-Bassols et al, 2006;Garcia and Charles, 2008;Lidskog and Sundqvist, 2002;Thomas, 1997;Yang, 2009;Yang et al, , 2013Wu, 2010, 2012). In particular, the application of different methods of desertification control and the participants in desertification control strongly influenced the types of institutional change in desertification control, while all three aforementioned aspects affected the mechanisms of institutional change (Yang, 2009;Yang et al, 2013;Wu, 2010, 2012).…”

Innovations in Public and Non-profit Sector Organizations in China

“…Yang's () article, ‘Building a knowledge‐driven society: Scholar participation and governance in large public works projects’, uses forty‐nine cases (thirty‐two from China and seventeen from other countries) to study the impact of scholars' participation. He found that scholars' participation is more effective when the projects are at the grassroots level or there is low political intervention.…”