Public networks are increasingly implemented at different government levels and across policy areas to increase coordination of services, decision-making and services delivery. Network governance is one promising theoretical perspective through which networks have been studied by different scholars and schools of thought. However, the literature on network governance is still fragmented, sectorial and issues-based. An overarching framework for the comprehensive analysis of the accumulate knowledge is missing. To address this limitation, we propose a comprehensive framework for analyzing the development of the findings in the field. The framework includes four building blocks that reflect the main issues debated in literature: the conditions affecting the choice of a mode of network governance, the modes of network governance, the dimensions of meta-governance and the outcome evaluation. The framework would support academics and policy makers who deal with network governance in different policy domains. The article concludes with a discussion of the proposed framework and its applications in future research.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate and assess the impact of public procurement activities of an Italian basic research center (the National Institute for Nuclear Physics [INFN]) on supplier companies. Design/methodology/approach Starting from the exploratory nature of this research, a single case study research strategy has been applied. The impact of basic research public procurement has been estimated using survey data on 168 INFN supplier companies. Supplier companies have been surveyed on six different categories of company outcomes, namely, sales volume, learning and innovation, relationship with the market, alliances and network and social impact. Findings Results of the analysis reported that the activity of INFN public procurement generates a positive impact on supplier companies on different dimensions, especially related to learning and innovative outcome and economic impact and market penetration outcome. Social implications Policy implications can be derived from the current study. In particular, to support the policymakers in the effort of assessing the impact of basic research public procurement, this study, first highlights the impact dimensions on supplier companies, and second, it provides empirical evidence of public procurement as a viable tool to foster companies’ innovation. Originality/value This research explores a relevant but understudied topic that has recently attracted the attention of policymakers. In fact, although public procurement have been recognized as a tool to foster companies’ innovation, empirical evidence is still scant, particularly in the case of basic research.

Policy networks, network management and network governance have received particular attention in the public sector literature over the last 20 years. Networks have been studied from different perspectives resulting in the creation of various concepts and definitions. However, the proliferation of definitions, metrics and language is responsible for a confusing picture, where policy networks, network management and network governance are used both as synonyms and to define different concepts. We review the existing literature with two aims: firstly, to compare the three streams of literature, by highlighting their similarities and dif-ferences; secondly, to propose a guide for network scholars that identifies the importance of each stream in analyzing specific issues.

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We investigate how the procurement activity of government‐funded science organizations support the performance of the firms involved in their supply chain. Specifically, the aim of the paper is to identify the mechanisms and disentangle the channels driving this process. Our testing ground is the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN). We frame our study as a mixed‐methods research project: three distinct but complementary methodologies are employed, which combine quantitative and qualitative evidence. Firstly, econometric and Bayesian Network analyses are performed, using the information collected through an online survey to suppliers as well as balance‐sheet data extracted from online databases. Then, five case studies are investigated in depth, carrying out direct interviews with company staff. Our findings suggest that four types of benefits stem from suppliers’ cooperation with INFN: learning, innovation, market penetration, and networking. These gains represent “intermediate outputs” which in turn impact on suppliers’ socio‐economic performance. We provide evidence that suppliers involved in innovative procurement usually experience the greatest benefits. This is mainly explained by the new technical competencies acquired, which are exploited to develop new products that support company business development and sales. In contrast, reputational gains, leading to the acquisition of new clients, are experienced also by companies involved in regular procurement.