Local Development Networks in Remote Areas and Knowledge Management

An introduction paper (Local Development Networks in Remote Areas and Knowledge Management) by Andra Aldea-Partanen on the role of social networks in policy making (innovation distribution, the role of informal and formal local networks, including them in a participatory process and building trust to leverage the discovery learning). Most importantly to me it defines concepts I am interested in including:
Social networks: “specific structures in which people as individuals and/or representatives of informal groups or formal organisations are inter-connected due to their common interests in one or more areas, sharing common norms and having certain expectations regarding their benefits”.

Learning regions: (american context:) “collector and repositories of knowledge and ideas and (that) provide and unerlying environment or infrastructure which faciliates the flow of knowledge, ideas and learning”. (european context:) “The territorial and institutional embeddednes of learning organisations and active learning”.

Trust: There is not only generalised trust (moralistic trust: based on belief that others share your fundamental moral values) but also the knowledge-based trust (presumes that trust depends on information and experience). The most important consequence of trust is that it forsters cooperation

Social capital: has three components: moral obligations and norms, social value (trust) and social networks (voluntary associations)