Reframing the multilevel triple helix in a regional innovation system: a case of systemic foresight and regimes in renewal of Skåne's food industry

Abstract

Most findings on the triple helix system derive from studies based on high-tech sectors, and seldom so on traditional industries. A foresight exercise aimed at renewal of the mature food industry in the Skåne region in southern Sweden was conducted in 2006–2007. The findings suggest that a multilevel triple helix policy ought to be used in a systemic way from a bottom up perspective, including companies as well as other triple helix actors throughout the value chain. Further, the findings underscore the importance of the role intermediaries play enhancing the integrative abilities of actors in the regional food system. Cultural analysis is used to elicit a deeper understanding of the different regimes that influence the actors. This is consistent with the observation highlighted in this article that the actors in the food system bear values arising from a time when the Swedish food system catered for national self-sufficiency under a regime of limited market competition.