Knowledge Development in Transnational Projects

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. a€?Transnational learninga€? has become a buzzword in European policy-making, as in multi-national business. The diversity of European regions, of their concepts and solutions for often common challenges is seen as a knowledge source for other regions, largely available through regional success stories, publications of a€?best practicea€?, twinning approaches and EU cooperation programmes. Regions are faced with maintaining or achieving growth as well as finding strategies to increase resilience in times of global economic unrest. This applies to regions far beyond the current EU and to regions as diverse as urban agglomerations, medium and small-sized towns and urban or peripheral regions who all can gain from transnationalco-operation and learning. Particularly at the EU level, learning lies at the heart of co-operation, as the latter is expected to have lasting effects and go beyond one-off actions. This books sets out to explore the topic of a€?transnational learning and knowledge transfera€? in co-operation programmes and projects. It argues that a deeper understanding of learning needs to lie at the heart of the implementation of relevant programmes and projects to meet these expectations. Evaluations of relevant programmes so far indicate that learning effects are modest. 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 a€?black-boxa€? of transnational learning and knowledge development and provides 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.

Dr. Verena Hachmann has over 10 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 is currently working as a coordinator for two research and cooperation programmes in the transport field at the Norwegian Research Council.