Knowledge Transfer

PMR — pp. 1-44 2026-08-25 Original Contingent capacity: navigating organizational dependency in Dutch municipal energy transitions Negin Salimi, Stijn van Hiele Abstract Municipalities implementing energy transition mandates rely on contingent workers to fill capacity and expertise gaps, raising concerns about dependency and knowledge loss. Drawing on Resource Dependence Theory and client–consultant literature, this study develops a framework capturing the feedback loop between external reliance and internal capacity development. Fifteen interviews across six Dutch municipalities show that labour shortages and temporary subsidies drive contingent hiring, while short contracts and limited knowledge transfer heighten dependency. Municipalities facing similar constraints diverge through knowledge integration, governance arrangements, and relational dynamics. It advances public administration scholarship by conceptualising dependency as a process rather than structural outcome.

PAR — 2026-07-09 Original Key Practices of Knowledge Mobilization in Local Policy Settings Rosie Havers, Hannah Durrant, James Downe, Steve Martin Abstract ABSTRACT The literature on knowledge mobilization (KM) acknowledges the complex processes involved in the application of evidence to policy. However, the everyday activities employed by knowledge mobilizers to facilitate these processes have proved difficult to capture and codify. We address this gap in current understanding through empirical analysis of the practices used to mobilize knowledge in local policy making. We find that effective KM is characterized by relational interactions with diverse actors across research, policy and practice settings; constant and consistent engagement with the local and policy contexts in which evidence is being applied; and the integration of different types of knowledge (including research findings, professional expertise and lived experience) to collectively respond to policy and practice needs. These practices of KM have important implications for how evidence is defined, validated, and used by policymakers and practitioners.