IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jknowl/v6y2015i2p270-295.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Smart Specialisation in Croatia: Between the Cluster and Technological Specialisation

Author

Listed:
  • Emira Bečić
  • Jadranka Švarc

Abstract

The paper discusses the particularities of the implementation of the concept of smart specialisation in the innovation follower countries using the example of Croatia. Croatian experience suggests that a level of economic and technological development enables the realisation of a reduced concept of smart specialisation that is focused on the development of existing business clusters, industries and ventures of lower technological complexity while technological specialisation through supporting frontier research and key enabling technologies (KETs) is difficult to attain. Therefore, there is a threat that KETs will be formally included in the strategy for smart specialisation but their development in practice may prove to be a failure. This narrow concept of smart specialisation is perceived as inferior to the smart specialisation which nurture fundamental and generic knowledge, education and skills needed for putting the key technologies into work since it keeps the regions/countries captured in uncompetitive industries with low profit and weak employment abilities. The reasons for such a limited realisation of smart specialisation in Croatia are numerous of which a long-term technological backwardness, excessive tertiarisation of economy in the low-profit/skills sectors, serious underinvestment in science and knowledge-based industries can be sorted out. From the innovation policy point of view, the neglect of research and technological specialisation is mostly a consequence of horizontal broad-based measures for fostering entrepreneurship, innovation and research without thematic prioritisation. In this context, the concept of smart specialisation is perceived as a useful tool for replacement of the current surplus of horizontal and mutually disconnected policy measures with a new policy mix build upon the concept of linking identified priority thematic areas with KETs and other cross-cutting themes such as tourism and information and communications technology (ICT). Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Emira Bečić & Jadranka Švarc, 2015. "Smart Specialisation in Croatia: Between the Cluster and Technological Specialisation," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 6(2), pages 270-295, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:6:y:2015:i:2:p:270-295
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-015-0238-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s13132-015-0238-7
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13132-015-0238-7?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rodrik, Dani, 2004. "Industrial Policy for the Twenty-First Century," CEPR Discussion Papers 4767, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Karl Aiginger & Susanne Sieber, 2006. "The Matrix Approach to Industrial Policy," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(5), pages 573-601.
    3. Mytelka, Lynn K. & Smith, Keith, 2002. "Policy learning and innovation theory: an interactive and co-evolving process," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1467-1479, December.
    4. Athanasoglou, Panayiotis & Backinezos, Constantina & Georgiou, Evangelia, 2010. "Export performance, competitiveness and commodity composition," MPRA Paper 31997, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Filippetti, Andrea & Archibugi, Daniele, 2011. "Innovation in times of crisis: National Systems of Innovation, structure, and demand," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 179-192, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bruno Brandão Fischer & Maxim Kotsemir & Dirk Meissner & Ekaterina Streltsova, 2020. "Patents for evidence-based decision-making and smart specialisation," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(6), pages 1748-1774, December.
    2. Ivan-Damir Anić & Nicoletta Corrocher, 2022. "Patterns of value creation in policy-driven cluster initiatives: evidence from the croatian competitiveness clusters," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 643-672, April.
    3. Bukhari, Esraa & Dabic, Marina & Shifrer, Dara & Daim, Tugrul & Meissner, Dirk, 2021. "Entrepreneurial university: The relationship between smart specialization innovation strategies and university-region collaboration," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).

    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. Marco R. Di Tommaso & Stuart O. Schweitzer, 2013. "Industrial Policy in America," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13749.
    2. Thanos Fragkandreas, 2023. "Case study research on innovation systems: paradox, dialectical analysis and resolution," Working Papers 65, Birkbeck Centre for Innovation Management Research, revised 15 May 2023.
    3. Jan Fagerberg & Gernot Hutschenreiter, 2020. "Coping with Societal Challenges: Lessons for Innovation Policy Governance," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 279-305, June.
    4. Constantino Hevia & Norman V. Loayza & Claudia Meza-Cuadra, 2023. "Industrial Policies vs Public Goods under Asymmetric Information," Revista Economía, Fondo Editorial - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, vol. 46(91), pages 39-52.
    5. Werner Hölzl & Klaus S. Friesenbichler & Agnes Kügler & Michael Peneder & Andreas Reinstaller, 2017. "Österreich 2025 – Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, Standortfaktoren, Markt- und Produktstrategien österreichischer Unternehmen und die Positionierung in der internationalen Wertschöpfungskette," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 90(3), pages 219-228, March.
    6. Karl Aiginger & Dani Rodrik, 2020. "Rebirth of Industrial Policy and an Agenda for the Twenty-First Century," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 189-207, June.
    7. Finbarr Livesey, 2012. "Rationales for Industrial Policy Based on Industry Maturity," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 349-363, September.
    8. Karl Aiginger, 2013. "The "Greening" of Industrial Policy, Headwinds and a Possible Symbiosis," WIFO Working Papers 450, WIFO.
    9. Philip Amison & David Bailey, 2013. "Industrial Diversity and Innovation Spillovers: Dynamic Innovation and Adoption. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 45," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 47020, April.
    10. Werner Hölzl & Klaus S. Friesenbichler & Agnes Kügler & Michael Peneder & Andreas Reinstaller & Gerhard Schwarz, 2016. "Österreich 2025 – Industrie 2025: Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, Standortfaktoren, Markt- und Produktstrategien und die Positionierung österreichischer Unternehmen in der internationalen Wertschöpfungskette," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 59184, February.
    11. C. Petraglia & D. Scalera, 2012. "Le politiche per il Mezzogiorno negli anni della crisi (2007-2012)," Rivista economica del Mezzogiorno, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 4, pages 1023-1048.
    12. Karl Aiginger, 2014. "Industrial Policy for a Sustainable Growth Path," WIFO Working Papers 469, WIFO.
    13. N. N., 2017. "WIFO-Monatsberichte, Heft 3/2017," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 90(3), March.
    14. Karl Aiginger, 2013. "The "Greening" of Industrial Policy, Headwinds and a Possible Symbiosis. WWWforEurope Policy Paper No. 3," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 46712, April.
    15. Karl Aiginger, 2014. "Industrial Policy for a Sustainable Growth Path. WWWforEurope Policy Paper No. 13," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 47261, April.
    16. Karl Aiginger & Susanne Sieber, 2009. "Industriepolitik in Österreich: von selektiver Intervention zu einem systemischen Ansatz?," WIFO Working Papers 337, WIFO.
    17. Dennis, Allen & Shepherd, Ben, 2007. "Trade costs, barriers to entry, and export diversification in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4368, The World Bank.
    18. Braun, Dietmar & Benninghoff, Martin, 2003. "Policy learning in Swiss research policy--the case of the National Centres of Competence in Research," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1849-1863, December.
    19. Shafaeddin, Mehdi, 2010. "Trade liberalization, industrialization and development; experience of recent decades," MPRA Paper 26355, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Roberto Antonietti & Ron Boschma, 2021. "Social capital, resilience, and regional diversification in Italy [Social capital, innovation and growth: evidence from Europe]," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 30(3), pages 762-777.

    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:spr:jknowl:v:6:y:2015:i:2:p:270-295. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.