Abstract:

Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) are increasingly seen as central policy areas, both at an European and a local level. This paper starts with the assumption that local/ national public policies in ST&I are the result of an Europeanization process, which is assumed as a process of institutionalisation which accommodates both institutions and individuals (Sweet, Sandholtz & Fligstein, 2001; Chou & Ulnicane, 2015).

Assuming that national policies are not only a result of isomorphic mechanisms and that policy changes are sensitive to their constitutive spatial-temporal conditions the paper aims to evaluate:
i) the impact of European Union policies on ST&I in Portugal and particularly whether Portuguese ST&I policies have been translating the European narratives;
ii) which other ‘levels’ of influence (besides the European level) are playing a role and how the policies (scope, focus and objectives) are changing and evolving over the years.

We analyse the legal-political and ideological frame of the ST&I public policies in Europe and in Portugal. First we explore the European and the Portuguese public policies on ST&I, in order to understand how the national political agenda has been changing and whether it has been changing in compliance with the European narratives for the creation of the Europe of knowledge (EK). As the Lisbon Strategy is defined as a relevant mark in the construction of the EK, we analyse legal documents produced from 2000 on. This task is fundamental to understand the scope and modes of change in domestic policies, allowing a first perspective on the Europeanization of ST&I policies.

The content analysis is still ongoing. Still, some preliminary findings can be presented. The first general conclusion is related to the quantity of legal documents on ST&I within the European and the national context. Our search resulted in around 2000 documents in Europe and around 60 in Portugal. The influence of the European narratives on national policies on ST&I is unquestionable, which is sometimes rather ‘explicit’, as some national legal documents frequently refer to particular European policies and milestones of the European ST&I agenda (such as the Lisbon Strategy) as drivers or triggers of the national agenda. The impact of the European narratives is also observed in the focus of the national public policies on the economic dimension. The ‘economic rational’ and the understanding of the European and national public innovation policy as an important tool to enhance economic competitiveness seem to be significantly shaping European and national policies on ST&I. However, the national level also plays a role in influencing public policies. It is clear that the national ST&I public agenda also responds to specific national demands and features (economic, political, social).

The paper is the first stage of a research project which analyses whether Portuguese ST&I policies have been translating the European narrative and whether institutions and actors with different institutional logics have changed their beliefs and behaviours according to the new political narratives and how they define strategies to work together in the co-production, transfer and commercialisation of knowledge. The research contributes to a better understanding of Europeanization processes in ST&I in a domestic context and, by assessing its level of institutionalisation, to inform better public and institutional policies in this domain.

Keywords:

Science, Technology, Innovation, Public Policies, Europeanization.