Re-thinking new knowledge production: A literature review and a research agenda

Abstract

This paper offers a systematic reflection on the Gibbons–Nowotny notion of ‘Mode 2 knowledge production’. We review its reception in scientific literature and compare it with seven alternative diagnoses of changing science systems. The ‘Mode 2’ diagnosis identifies a number of important trends that require further empirical efforts, but it suffers from severe conceptual problems. It is time to untie its five major constitutive claims and investigate each separately.