IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wiw/wiwpeg/geo-disc-2019_05.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Smart specialisation and institutional context: What does it mean for path development?

Author

Listed:
  • Maximilian Benner

Abstract

The smart specialization approach is the currently dominant concept of industrial and regional policy in the European Union. During its implementation in recent years, the approach generated a wide range of policy experimentation on how to develop smart specialization strategies (RIS3), and how to do so in a participatory public-private dialogue commonly called entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP). Building on theories known from institutional economic geography, this paper argues that the smart specialization exercise is inextricably linked with the institutional context of regional (or national) economies, and that both the RIS3 developed and the preceding EDP have the potential to affect the institutional context. By doing so, drafting and implementing a RIS3 conditions different forms of evolutionary dynamics in a regional economy. The article presents some conceptual thoughts for the relationship between institutions, evolution, and path development within the context of smart specialization, and suggests areas for further research in view of post-2020 cohesion policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Maximilian Benner, 2019. "Smart specialisation and institutional context: What does it mean for path development?," PEGIS geo-disc-2019_05, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwpeg:geo-disc-2019_05
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www-sre.wu.ac.at/sre-disc/geo-disc-2019_05.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Arthur, W Brian, 1989. "Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and Lock-In by Historical Events," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(394), pages 116-131, March.
    2. Arne Isaksen & Roman Martin & Michaela Trippl (ed.), 2018. "New Avenues for Regional Innovation Systems - Theoretical Advances, Empirical Cases and Policy Lessons," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-319-71661-9, November.
    3. Markus Grillitsch & Bjørn Asheim & Michaela Trippl, 2018. "Unrelated knowledge combinations: the unexplored potential for regional industrial path development," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 11(2), pages 257-274.
    4. David, Paul A, 1985. "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 332-337, May.
    5. Maximilian Benner, 2017. "From Clusters to Smart Specialization: Tourism in Institution-Sensitive Regional Development Policies," Economies, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-20, July.
    6. Henning Kroll, 2015. "Efforts to Implement Smart Specialization in Practice--Leading Unlike Horses to the Water," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(10), pages 2079-2098, October.
    7. Roberta Capello & Henning Kroll, 2016. "From theory to practice in smart specialization strategy: emerging limits and possible future trajectories," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(8), pages 1393-1406, August.
    8. Benner Maximilian, 2014. "From smart specialisation to smart experimentation," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 58(1), pages 33-49, October.
    9. Michaela Trippl & Elena Zukauskaite & Adrian Healy, 2018. "Shaping Smart Specialisation: The Role of Place-Specific Factors in Advanced, Intermediate and Less-Developed European Regions," PEGIS geo-disc-2018_01, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    10. Ron Martin & Peter Sunley, 2006. "Path dependence and regional economic evolution," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(4), pages 395-437, August.
    11. Maximilian Benner, 2017. "Smart specialization and cluster emergence: Elements of evolutionary regional policies," Chapters, in: Dirk Fornahl & Robert Hassink (ed.), The Life Cycle of Clusters, chapter 8, pages 151-172, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Glückler, Johannes & Lenz, Regina, 2016. "How institutions moderate the effectiveness of regional policy: A framework and research agenda," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 36, pages 255-277.
    13. Todtling, Franz & Trippl, Michaela, 2005. "One size fits all?: Towards a differentiated regional innovation policy approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 1203-1219, 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. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Alexandra Frangenheim & Michaela Trippl & Camilla Chlebna, 2018. "Beyond the 'single path view': Inter-path relationships in regional contexts," PEGIS geo-disc-2018_06, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    4. Rosina Moreno & Ernest Miguélez, 2012. "A Relational Approach To The Geography Of Innovation: A Typology Of Regions," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 492-516, July.
    5. Roberta Capello & Camilla Lenzi, 2018. "The dynamics of regional learning paradigms and trajectories," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 727-748, September.
    6. 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.
    7. Giuseppe Calignano & Rune Dahl Fitjar & Nina Hjertvikrem, 2018. "Innovation networks and green restructuring: Which path development can EU Framework Programmes stimulate in Norway?," PEGIS geo-disc-2018_05, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    8. Grillitsch, Markus & Sotarauta, Markku, 2018. "Regional Growth Paths: From Structure to Agency and Back," Papers in Innovation Studies 2018/1, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    9. Maximilian Benner, 2021. "System-level agency and its many shades: How to shape the system for path development?," PEGIS geo-disc-2021_10, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    10. Martin Ron & Sunley Peter, 2022. "Making history matter more in evolutionary economic geography," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 66(2), pages 65-80, July.
    11. Maximilian Benner, 2020. "The Decline of Tourist Destinations: An Evolutionary Perspective on Overtourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-14, May.
    12. James Simmie, 2020. "Agency, new technological path creation and long waves of local economic growth in Oxfordshire," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 35(8), pages 723-746, December.
    13. Jolly, Suyash & Grillitsch, Markus & Hansen, Teis, 2019. "Agency in regional path development: Towards a bio-economy in Värmland, Sweden," Papers in Innovation Studies 2019/7, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    14. Yunyao Li & Yanji Ma, 2022. "Research on Industrial Innovation Efficiency and the Influencing Factors of the Old Industrial Base Based on the Lock-In Effect, a Case Study of Jilin Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-23, October.
    15. Ron Boschma & Ron Martin, 2010. "The Aims and Scope of Evolutionary Economic Geography," Chapters, in: Ron Boschma & Ron Martin (ed.), The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    16. Kurikka, Heli & Grillitsch, Markus, 2020. "Resilience in the periphery: What an agency perspective can bring to the table," Papers in Innovation Studies 2020/7, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    17. Kroll Henning & Neuhäusler Peter, 2020. "Recent Trends of Regional Development in China – Technological Portfolios and Economic Growth," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 64(1), pages 14-27, March.
    18. Maximilian Benner, 2022. "Legitimizing path development by interlinking institutional logics: The case of Israel's desert tourism," PEGIS geo-disc-2022_01, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    19. Loïc Lévi & Jean Jacques Nowak & Sylvain Petit & Hakim Hammadou, 2022. "Industrial legacy and hotel pricing: An application of spatial hedonic pricing analysis in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(4), pages 870-898, June.
    20. Vitor Klein Schmidt & Aurora Carneiro Zen & Bernardo Fernandes Soares & Bruno Anicet Bittencourt, 2023. "Trajectory and cluster resilience elements: The case of the Brazilian wine cluster of the Serra Gaúcha," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 596-624, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    regional development; EU cohesion policy; smart specialization; evolutionary economic geography; institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B52 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Modern Monetary Theory;
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

    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:wiw:wiwpeg:geo-disc-2019_05. 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: Gunther Maier (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.wu-wien.ac.at/en/wgi .

    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.