"Living labs" practices as collaborative governance arrangements when addressing wicked problems

Policy makers and modern public administration are adequately equipped to address well structured policy issues and design efficient policies to address them. Facing ‘wicked problems’, how can the politico-administrative structures adapt to develop the innovative and flexible, context sensitive approaches which are necessary to develop an adequate grip on the emerging issues ?

This contribution starts from a field research by a multidisciplinary group of veterinary and political scientists on the transformations of an epidemiosurveillance governance system dedicated to animal diseases, when confronted to new emerging threats in the wake of global changes (Fallon et al., in Vertigo 12(3) 2012) . The research field refers to the emergence of bluetongue virus serotype 8 in 2006 in Belgium and it mobilises the results of a survey based on Delphi method involving relevant public servants and scientists, which showed that most of the means proposed by the authorities are based on the logic of known risk management. However we can identify attempts for renewal and organisational learning, especially with the proposal of a new vigilance system, which allows open discussion and reporting through the decision process (Behaeghel, I. et al., 2012) supporting innovation as experienced in “Living Labs” (Bajgier et al., 1991). These are designed as places for cooperation supporting trustbuilding rather than hierarchical controls, promoting the sharing of knowledge mobilizing multiple frames and different perspectives. This may be considered as a combined approach of forensic analysis and bricolage (Hisschemöller and Hoppe, 1996) and participatory policy design, with the mobilization of complex scenarios to support creative problem solving.

The article identifies two drivers for change in the governance network : by admitting the persistence of unavoidable cognitive uncertainty and by recognizing the importance for opening up arenas of lay and expert knowledge in multiple framing approaches. These results will be compared to the literature on trends in public sector innovation as recently experienced in Living Labs approaches in several European countries.