IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pes/ierequ/v17y2022i1p133-171.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Regional smart specialisations in the light of dynamic changes in the employment structure: the case of a region in Poland

Author

Listed:
  • Joanna Kudelko

    (Cracow University of Economics, Poland)

  • Katarzyna Zmija

    (Cracow University of Economics, Poland)

  • Dariusz Zmija

    (Cracow University of Economics, Poland)

Abstract

Research background: Among the determinants of the socio-economic development of the region, an important role is played by its endogenous potential. It is reflected in the industry structure of the region, formed in the process of its historical development. The industry structure is the basis for the development of regional specialisations. One of the criteria for defining specialisations is the employment structure by sections and divisions of the national economy. The definition of regional specialisations is indispensable for planning the development policy and for formulating regional strategies. Purpose of the article: The main objective of the paper is the analysis and evaluation of employment structure as a criterion for the delimitation of industries identified as smart specialisations in the region. The study covers the case of selected region in Poland at NUTS-2 level — the voivodeship of Malopolska. Methods: The study is based on GUS unpublished data (Statistics Poland) for 2009 and 2018. It makes use of descriptive statistical analysis methods and structure and dynamics ratios, as well as Florence’s specialisation coefficient. Findings & value added: The research has shown that the employment structure indicating the presence of the region's specialisation in given industries is an important, but not sufficient criterion for the evaluation, whether the delimitation of industries recognized as smart specialisations was appropriate. In the light of the conducted research, it seems fully justified to grant the status of smart specialisation in Malopolska to Information and Communication Technologies as well as to Creative and Leisure Industries. In the context of changes to employment dynamics and structures, the possible development-oriented smart specialisations are as follows: Manufacture of metals and metal products, Electronics and machine industry, and Chemistry. On the other hand, the identified specialisations: Life science and Sustainable energy are not in line with changes in the region’s employment structure. The paper proposes one of the possible ways of precise identification of distinctive regional industries with high development potential. The structure of employment and changes occurring in this area make it possible to determine the main forces of the region's endogenous potential, and thus may form the basis for the determination, and in the longer term, assessment of the relevance of identified regional smart specialisations. The added value of the study is, therefore, an attempt to assess, on the example of a selected region, to what extent changes in regional specialisations reflected in the existing employment structure confirm the accuracy of the selection of industries identified as regional smart specialisations. The presented case is an exemplification of the proposed method, which can also be successfully applied to other European regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Joanna Kudelko & Katarzyna Zmija & Dariusz Zmija, 2022. "Regional smart specialisations in the light of dynamic changes in the employment structure: the case of a region in Poland," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 17(1), pages 133-171, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:pes:ierequ:v:17:y:2022:i:1:p:133-171
    DOI: 10.24136/eq.2022.006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.24136/eq.2022.006
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.24136/eq.2022.006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Krzysztof Mieszkowski & Javier Barbero, 2021. "Territorial patterns of R&D+I grants supporting Smart Specialisation projects funded from the ESIF in Poland," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(3), pages 390-401, March.
    2. João Lopes & João J. Ferreira & Luís Farinha, 2019. "Innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3): Past, present and future research," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(1), pages 38-68, March.
    3. Magdalena Kogut-Jaworska & Elżbieta Ociepa-Kicińska, 2020. "Smart Specialisation as a Strategy for Implementing the Regional Innovation Development Policy—Poland Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-21, September.
    4. Delgado, Mercedes & Porter, Michael E. & Stern, Scott, 2014. "Clusters, convergence, and economic performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(10), pages 1785-1799.
    5. Mercedes Delgado & Michael E. Porter & Scott Stern, 2016. "Defining clusters of related industries," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(1), pages 1-38.
    6. Beata Bal-Domanska & Elzbieta Sobczak & Elzbieta Stanczyk, 2020. "A multivariate approach to the identification of initial smart specialisations of Polish voivodeships," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 15(4), pages 785-810, December.
    7. Philip McCann & Raquel Ortega-Argilés, 2016. "The early experience of smart specialization implementation in EU cohesion policy," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(8), pages 1407-1427, August.
    8. Markku Sotarauta, 2018. "Smart specialization and place leadership: dreaming about shared visions, falling into policy traps?," Regional Studies, Regional Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 190-203, January.
    9. Guimarães, Paulo & Figueiredo, Octávio & Woodward, Douglas, 2009. "Dartboard tests for the location quotient," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 360-364, May.
    10. Carlo Gianelle & Fabrizio Guzzo & Krzysztof Mieszkowski, 2020. "Smart Specialisation: what gets lost in translation from concept to practice?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(10), pages 1377-1388, October.
    11. Billings, Stephen B. & Johnson, Erik B., 2012. "The location quotient as an estimator of industrial concentration," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 642-647.
    12. Pierre-Alexandre Balland & Cristian Jara-Figueroa & Sergio G. Petralia & Mathieu P. A. Steijn & David L. Rigby & César A. Hidalgo, 2020. "Complex economic activities concentrate in large cities," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(3), pages 248-254, March.
    13. Benjamin Davies & David C. Maré, 2021. "Relatedness, complexity and local growth," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(3), pages 479-494, March.
    14. Robert Hassink & Huiwen Gong, 2019. "Six critical questions about smart specialization," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(10), pages 2049-2065, October.
    15. Philip McCann & Raquel Ortega-Argil�s, 2015. "Smart Specialization, Regional Growth and Applications to European Union Cohesion Policy," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(8), pages 1291-1302, August.
    16. Sandro Montresor & Francesco Quatraro, 2020. "Green technologies and Smart Specialisation Strategies: a European patent-based analysis of the intertwining of technological relatedness and key enabling technologies," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(10), pages 1354-1365, October.
    17. Gintarė Morkutė & Sierdjan Koster & Jouke Van Dijk, 2017. "Employment growth and inter-industry job reallocation: spatial patterns and relatedness," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(6), pages 958-971, June.
    18. Carlo Gianelle & Fabrizio Guzzo & Krzysztof Mieszkowski, 2018. "Smart Specialisation at work: Assessing investment priorities," JRC Research Reports JRC113433, Joint Research Centre.
    19. Carlo Gianelle & Dimitris Kyriakou & Philip McCann & Kevin Morgan, 2020. "Smart Specialisation on the move: reflections on six years of implementation and prospects for the future," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(10), pages 1323-1327, October.
    20. Dominique Foray, 2013. "The economic fundamentals of smart specialisation," EKONOMIAZ. Revista vasca de Economía, Gobierno Vasco / Eusko Jaurlaritza / Basque Government, vol. 83(02), pages 55-82.
    21. Michaela Trippl & Elena Zukauskaite & Adrian Healy, 2020. "Shaping smart specialization: the role of place-specific factors in advanced, intermediate and less-developed European regions," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(10), pages 1328-1340, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Magdalena Kogut-Jaworska & Elżbieta Ociepa-Kicińska, 2023. "Practical Implications of Smart Specialization Strategy: Barriers to Implementation, Role of the Public Sector, and Benefits for Entrepreneurs," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(2), pages 21582440231, June.
    2. Ron Boschma, 2021. "Designing Smart Specialization Policy: relatedness, unrelatedness, or what?," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2128, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Sep 2021.
    3. László Szerb & Raquel Ortega‐Argilés & Zoltan J. Acs & Éva Komlósi, 2020. "Optimizing entrepreneurial development processes for smart specialization in the European Union," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 99(5), pages 1413-1457, October.
    4. Jason Deegan & Tom Broekel & Rune Dahl Fitjar, 2021. "Searching through the Haystack:The Relatedness and Complexity of Priorities in Smart Specialization Strategies," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 97(5), pages 497-520, October.
    5. Fil Kristensen, Iryna & Pugh, Rhiannon & Grillitsch, Markus, 2022. "Leadership and governance challenges in delivering place-based transformation through smart specialisation: Insights and policy implications from a metropolitan innovation leader region," Papers in Innovation Studies 2022/6, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    6. Maximilian Benner, 2022. "An institutionalist perspective on smart specialization: Towards a political economy of regional innovation policy [Place-based Policy and Politics]," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(6), pages 878-889.
    7. Ron Boschma, 2022. "Evolutionary Economic Geography and Policy," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2220, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Oct 2022.
    8. Agnieszka Janik & Adam Ryszko & Marek Szafraniec, 2020. "Mapping the Field of Smart Specialisation and Regional Innovation Strategy Literature – A Bibliometric Analysis," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4), pages 655-673.
    9. E. Marrocu & R. Paci & D. Rigby & S. Usai, 2020. "Smart Specialization Strategy: any relatedness between theory and practice?," Working Paper CRENoS 202004, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    10. Robert Hassink & Matthias Kiese, 2021. "Solving the restructuring problems of (former) old industrial regions with smart specialization? Conceptual thoughts and evidence from the Ruhr," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 41(2), pages 131-155, October.
    11. Korneliusz Pylak & Tomasz Warowny, 2021. "Related Variety of Regional Smart Specialization Strategies," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 2), pages 534-544.
    12. Balland, Pierre-Alexandre & Boschma, Ron, 2022. "Do scientific capabilities in specific domains matter for technological diversification in European regions?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).
    13. Raquel Ortega-Argilés, 2022. "The evolution of regional entrepreneurship policies: “no one size fits all”," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 69(3), pages 585-610, December.
    14. Christopher Meyer & Laima Gerlitz & Monika Klein, 2022. "Creativity as a Key Constituent for Smart Specialization Strategies (S3), What Is in It for Peripheral Regions? Co-creating Sustainable and Resilient Tourism with Cultural and Creative Industries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-31, March.
    15. Yang Li & Frank Neffke, 2022. "Relatedness in regional development: in search of the right specification," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2208, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Apr 2022.
    16. Moritz Breul, 2023. "Unpacking smart specialization strategies: how collective policy-making processes shape the direction of regional strategies," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2320, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Sep 2023.
    17. Magro, Edurne & Wilson, James R., 2019. "Policy-mix evaluation: Governance challenges from new place-based innovation policies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(10).
    18. Tom Broekel & Rune Dahl Fitjar & Silje Haus-Reve, 2021. "The roles of diversity, complexity, and relatedness in regional development – What does the occupational perspective add?," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2135, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Nov 2021.
    19. Nicola Cortinovis & Dongmiao Zhang & Ron Boschma, 2022. "Regional diversification and intra-regional wage inequality in the Netherlands," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2216, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Aug 2022.
    20. Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés & Di Cataldo, Marco & Monastiriotis, Vassilis, 2020. "How ‘smart’ are Smart Specialisation strategies?," CEPR Discussion Papers 15442, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    employment structure; employment dynamics; regional specialisations; smart specialisations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pes:ierequ:v:17:y:2022:i:1:p:133-171. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Adam P. Balcerzak (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ibgtopl.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.