Regional Studies

Mora, Luca; Panori, Anastasia; Deakin, Mark; Ortega-Argiles, Raquel

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2022.2091775pmid: N/A

Conceived in the framework of regional studies on Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) development, this special issue strengthens research efforts oriented towards assembling a technology-enhanced approach to S3 policymaking. First, it sheds light on fundamental methodological limitations that affect S3 development and reports on the digital support tools currently available. Second, it offers a knowledge base for producing novel digital applications that align with the overlooked needs of S3 orchestrators. Third, it complements this practical input with theoretical advancements in regional innovation studies by addressing intellectual questions and policy issues of pivotal importance for the S3 debate.

Moilanen, Mikko; Østbye, Stein; Simonen, Jaakko

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1925237pmid: N/A

The European Union (EU) has recognized that universities and research institutes play a critical role in regional Smart Specialisation processes. Our research aims to identify thematic cross-border research domains across space and disciplines in Arctic Scandinavia. We identify potential domains using an unsupervised machine-learning technique (topic modelling). We uncover latent topics based on similarities in the vocabulary of research papers. The proposed methodology can be utilized to identify common research domains across regions and disciplines in almost real time, thereby acting as a decision support system to facilitate cooperation among knowledge producers.

Natalicchio, Angelo; Mora, Luca; Ardito, Lorenzo; Messeni Petruzzelli, Antonio

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1988551pmid: N/A

Discovering regional technological capabilities is key to underpinning the place-based and evidence-driven logic of Smart Specialisation. However, a comprehensive methodological approach for operationalizing the mapping, assessment and benchmarking of regional technological knowledge is urgently required. To address this need, we design and test a patent-based methodology that helps to profile technological domains in European Union regions, detects technological competitive advantages and opportunities for knowledge recombination, assesses selected S3 priorities against regional innovation performance measures, and conducts benchmarking activities. This study lays the foundation for tailoring a digital application to complement the suite of online services for S3 development currently available.

Panori, Anastasia; Kakderi, Christina; Dimitriadis, Ilias

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1988552pmid: N/A

Relatedness is a popular concept for regional branching within Smart Specialisation. However, this proximity-network approach misses its regional perspective, making difficult its operationalization in regional policies. This paper advances the regional perspective of relatedness for improving prioritization in Smart Specialisation by combining the concepts of technological relatedness and sectoral specialization. Using a four-stage methodology, we reveal potential Smart Specialisation priorities for a set of 16 European regions considering both cognitive links arising through technological relatedness and their regional structures. The proposed methodology reduces the stress of regional stakeholders participating in entrepreneurial discovery processes by providing a narrower set of priorities.

Ruhrmann, Henriette; Fritsch, Michael; Leydesdorff, Loet

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1872780pmid: N/A

Tools for Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) development to assess at which territorial level innovation is concentrated and how innovation systems compare across regions and sectors remain scarce. The triple helix indicator is a data-driven tool that can serve in RIS3 development to assess synergy in innovation systems based on readily available data sets. For Germany, we find strong decentralization with innovation system synergy concentrated at regional and local levels. Innovation systems in manufacturing are less regionalized than in knowledge-intensive services. An East–West divide persists. RIS3 policy-making should account for decentralization by building capacity for region-specific RIS3 development at lower governance levels.

Rocchetta, Silvia; Ortega-Argilés, Raquel; Kogler, Dieter F.

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1939292pmid: N/A

With a sample of 268 European Union (EU) regions and multilevel modelling, we demonstrate that different technological diversification measures measured as coherence and entropy-variety have different non-linear effects on regional productivity growth. These non-linear effects work in opposite directions to each other. Our analysis shows that higher regional productivity returns can be found in regions investing both around their existing technological capabilities as well as in more distant knowledge domains. Our findings have significant implications for understanding regional productivity growth processes and the implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies.

Barbero, Javier; Diukanova, Olga; Gianelle, Carlo; Salotti, Simone; Santoalha, Artur

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1926959pmid: N/A

We make the case for a technology-enabled approach to Smart Specialisation policymaking aimed at increasing its effectiveness by assessing the general equilibrium effects of the European Cohesion Policy objectives contained in the regional Operational Programmes prepared by the regional policymakers. We simulate the impact of achieving the research and development personnel targets on gross domestic product and its components in a set of Southern European regions. We discuss the implications and challenges of the proposed methodology for future assessments of Smart Specialisation and for its implementation in the regions of the European Union.

Vallés-Giménez, Jaime; Zárate-Marco, Anabel

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1990251pmid: N/A

This paper analyses the effectiveness of regional governments’ environmental taxes and policies in reducing industrial waste. We propose a spatial and dynamic model for the Spanish regions during the period 1999–2017. The results suggest that there are spatial and dynamic components in the generation of industrial waste; and that the specific environmental tax policy applied to industrial waste is not very effective, although the induced effect of these taxes and other environmental policies reduces the waste generation. Our model also suggests a relative decoupling between growth and waste, although many regions are still far from the waste Kuznets curve (WKC) turning point.

Benner, Maximilian

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1949441pmid: N/A

Evolutionary economic geography has sought to understand the development of regional industrial pathways but tended to neglect both the multiscalarity of economic development and the role of institutional change. The concept of coevolution seeks to bridge this gap but is still too vague for empirical application. Understanding the interactions between path development and institutional change in regional economies and on higher spatial scales requires retheorizing coevolution along the dimensions of institutional–industrial coevolution, path multiplicity and multiscalarity. The article proposes such a retheorized concept of coevolution by integrating concepts of path development, institutions, institutional change, institutional entrepreneurship, institutional work and nestedness.

Andersson, Martin; Larsson, Johan P.

doi: 10.1080/00343404.2021.1954611pmid: N/A

Do workers benefit from proximity to other workers with similar skill sets? This question dates back at least to Alfred Marshall. We use occupation groups to proxy skill sets and show that the answer likely depends on geographical levels, as well on regional hierarchy. Using longitudinal Swedish data, we document robust evidence consistent with highly localized spillovers at the level of sub-city districts between individuals in similar occupations. We further demonstrate less distance-sensitive benefits of working in districts and regions, characterized by high overall density (of employees in other occupations). We find no evidence of benefits from overall density outside Sweden’s three main metropolitan areas.