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Materialising networks: moving knowledge, governing mega-events
Type
fundamental research project
Start Date
01 August 2013
End Date
01 August 2017
Status
ongoing
Keywords
knowledge management
knowledge transfer
knowledge governance
mega-events
host cities
actor-network theory
networks
Description
In order to coordinate mega-events such as the Olympic Games, the transfer of specialist knowledge from a global organisation like the IOC to the local level of host cities is a key factor. This transfer of knowledge presents a major challenge, since it requires bridging scale levels from the global to the local and adapting knowledge of how to host the same mega-event to ever new local contexts. What adds to the challenge is the tight time frame and the massive scale of mega-events which require completely new forms of organisation and planning.
This project proposes to examine how knowledge on the organisation of mega-events circulates between the organising committees, the IOC and FIFA as well as third parties and how, in the course of this circulation, it is adapted to varying contexts and put into practice. It compares the practices of knowledge transfer, adaptation and application for the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 as well as the Football World Cup 2014 in Brazil and 2018 in Russia with regard to three key questions:
1) How and where does knowledge circulate?
2) How is knowledge adapted and put into practice in local contexts?
3) When and why does knowledge transfer work ‘according to plan'? When and why does it produce unintended effects?
In order to capture the social and material substance of the knowledge networks and trace the emerging processes of association, the project will draw on a combination of organisational ethnography, qualitative interviewing and quantitative survey research.
Focussing on how immutable mobile carriers of knowledge create what Bruno Latour, Michel Callon and John Law have dubbed an actor-network, this project contributes to an emerging research agenda around actor-network theory (ANT) and the circulation of knowledge within economic geography, organisation studies as well as planning and urban studies. On the empirical side, it aims to work towards a better understanding of the circumstances under which knowing practices evolve and are shaped in the transient, translocal settings that have become more and more commonplace through the proliferation of projects in the modern organisation of work.
This project proposes to examine how knowledge on the organisation of mega-events circulates between the organising committees, the IOC and FIFA as well as third parties and how, in the course of this circulation, it is adapted to varying contexts and put into practice. It compares the practices of knowledge transfer, adaptation and application for the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 as well as the Football World Cup 2014 in Brazil and 2018 in Russia with regard to three key questions:
1) How and where does knowledge circulate?
2) How is knowledge adapted and put into practice in local contexts?
3) When and why does knowledge transfer work ‘according to plan'? When and why does it produce unintended effects?
In order to capture the social and material substance of the knowledge networks and trace the emerging processes of association, the project will draw on a combination of organisational ethnography, qualitative interviewing and quantitative survey research.
Focussing on how immutable mobile carriers of knowledge create what Bruno Latour, Michel Callon and John Law have dubbed an actor-network, this project contributes to an emerging research agenda around actor-network theory (ANT) and the circulation of knowledge within economic geography, organisation studies as well as planning and urban studies. On the empirical side, it aims to work towards a better understanding of the circumstances under which knowing practices evolve and are shaped in the transient, translocal settings that have become more and more commonplace through the proliferation of projects in the modern organisation of work.
Leader contributor(s)
Mueller, Martin
Funder(s)
Topic(s)
cities
knowledge transfer
knowledge governance
mega-events
host cities
actor-network theory
Olympic Games
Method(s)
ethnography
qualitative interviews
regression
Range
School
Range (De)
School
Division(s)
Eprints ID
57678
4 results
Now showing
1 - 4 of 4
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PublicationThe economic impact of Olympic tourism: When, who and how much?(e-legacies, 2010)Mueller, MartinNo Olympics could do without exact measuring. In the 100 m sprint race, milliseconds separate winners from losers. But when it comes to measuring the economic benefits of Olympic tourism, figures vary by several billion. How can we get a grip on the economic impact of tourism associated with the Olympics?Type: case study
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PublicationHigher, longer, costlier: Risiko in der Planung von Grossprojekten(Esprit, 2012-12-19)Mueller, MartinType: newspaper articleJournal: St. Gallen Business ReviewIssue: Winter 2012
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PublicationPopular perception of urban transformation through megaevents: understanding support for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi(Pion Publication, 2012-08-29)Mueller, MartinWith the increasing number and impact of events hosted by cities, understanding the nature of popular support for them and the resulting urban transformations is a crucial task. This paper examines residents' perceptions of the preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, asking how support differs across social groups and what factors predict support. It finds that negative impacts from preparations dominate public opinion, but that there is nevertheless a solid support base for the event. Support tends to be strongest among non-Russians, the younger generation and residents who have good knowledge of the preparations. Perception of positive impacts, in particular expected image improvement, is the strongest predictor of support, while perception of negative impacts shows a much weaker association with support. The paper concludes that delivering on the positive aspects of events might be more important for administrations than minimizing the negative side-effects.Type: journal articleJournal: Environment and Planning C: Government and PolicyVolume: 30Issue: 4DOI: 10.1068/c11185r
Scopus© Citations 67 -
PublicationState dirigisme in megaprojects: governing the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi(Pion, 2011-09-29)Mueller, MartinThis paper examines the preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, and links it to debates on state rescaling and urban entrepreneurialism in mega-projects. It argues that the Olympic mega-project in Sochi follows a model of state dirigisme which accords a salient role to the national state. Although private sector companies act as investors, the national state steers the planning process and directs the investment. This arrangement is reflected in a business-state relationship where the boundaries between the public and the private sector become blurred, as the state establishes directive control over companies. The model of state dirigisme is underpinned by a nationalist narrative which frames the Olympic Games not primarily as a stimulus for economic development and global competitiveness but as a contribution to Russian greatness. This mode of governing the Olympic Games deviates from the model of entrepreneurial governance and the concomitant state rescaling, dominant in mega-projects in North America and Western Europe, in according a prominent role to the national state rather than to market-led development pushed by cities as lead actors.
Scopus© Citations 100