Thriving Regions, Stronger Europe
From left: Dr. Arne Ortland, Stina Gottlieb, Local Hub Coordinator (Municipality of Sotenäs), and Iris Rickhoff-fischer, Local Project Coordinator (TrENDi / University of Vechta)
”The Role of Government in Solving Complex Societal Challenges”
Under that topic, the SIRR-project was invited to the European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels to share examples of how local authorities can tackle problems and challenges by working in a non-linear way and by involving multiple parts of society, instead of working in the traditional silos.
During a fully-booked seminar different examples of involving companies, civil society and individual enthusiasts were discussed – and the outputs that arise when working within the Multi Helix model.
SIRR was represented by Stina Gottlieb, Local Hub Coordinator (Municipality of Sotenäs), and Iris Rickhoff-Fischer, Local Project Coordinator (TrENDi / University of Vechta).
Session summary
"The Role of Government in Solving Complex Socio-Economic Challenges" - how can the public sector contribute to solving complex challenges, such as climate change or migration, by means of new ways of thinking and working? This question was in the very center of a one-hour session at the European Week of Regions and Cities.
Iris-Rickhoff-Fischer (Domhan Vision) presented results of the ERASMUS+ project public:START, including in particular an on-the-job learning tool to support staff of public institutions in dealing with complex challenges. Stina Gottlieb (Sotenäs Municipality, Sweden) gave insights into her work as a Symbiosis developer, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with universities, politics, business and society in the sense of the quadruple helix model. Anu Manickam (Hanzehogeschool Groningen), on the other hand, highlighted a successful experiment in local cooperation between universities and municipalities exemplified by the Westerkwartier region (Netherlands). Arne Ortland (University of Vechta) guided the audience through the presentations and moderated a lively discussion afterwards.
The workshop session was attended by a diverse spectrum of public sector institutions, ranging from rural municipalities to major European cities. What is more, the questions that were asked during the discussion made it abundantly clear that there is an actual and pressing demand for new working models, as presented by the three speakers. Overall, the workshop underlined that discussions around the role of government in solving complex socio-economic challenges will likely further gain momentum in the near future.
Source: Programme