Changing boundaries: The role of policy networks in the multi-level governance of science and innovation in Scotland

Regional boundaries and distinct institutions and policy agendas confer on Scotland a characteristic regional system of innovation that affords multiple opportunities for interactions between policy-makers and policy targets. Scotland should offer a set of circumstances congenial to the operation of policy networks, which might facilitate policy integration. However, the predominance of the public sector and the gate-keeping roles therein still present significant barriers to the effective operation of such networks and militate against an integrated policy approach. This Scottish case study provides lessons on policy-making in multi-level, multi-actor spaces for other regional governance systems. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.