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Social Science Research

Networks of Knowledge

Collaborative Innovation in International Learning

by (author) Joy Fitzgibbon, Janice Gross Stein & Richard Stren

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Sep 2001
Category
Research, General, Methodology
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802083715
    Publish Date
    Sep 2001
    List Price
    $38.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802048448
    Publish Date
    Sep 2001
    List Price
    $84.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442677616
    Publish Date
    Aug 2001
    List Price
    $84.00

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Description

The network is the pervasive organizational image of the new millennium. This book examines one particular kind of network - the 'knowledge network' - whose primary mandate is to create and disseminate knowledge based on multidisciplinary research that is informed by problem-solving as well as theoretical agendas. In their examination of five knowledge networks based in Canadian universities, and in most cases working closely with researchers in developing countries, the authors demonstrate the ability of networks to cross disciplinary boundaries, to blend the operational with the theoretical, and to respond to broad social processes. Operating through networks, rather than through formal, hierarchical structures, diverse communities of researchers create different kinds of knowledge and disseminate their results effectively across disciplinary, sectoral, and spatial boundaries. Analysis of networks in health, environment, urban, and educational fields suggests that old categories of 'north' and 'south' are becoming blurred, and that the new structures of knowledge creation and dissemination help to sustain collaborative research.

About the authors

Joy Fitzgibbon is a doctoral candidate in the department of political science at the University of Toronto.

Joy Fitzgibbon's profile page

Janice Gross Stein is the Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

Janice Gross Stein's profile page

Richard Stren is Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto.

Richard Stren's profile page