Complejidad y coordinación en las estrategias territoriales. Reflexiones desde el caso vasco

This paper aims at introducing the sub-regional level in the smart specialization strategies concept as well as proposing new methods for analysing the processes embedded in this type of strategies. Regions are not homogeneous territories and smart specialization strategies should take this into account. The paper studies how these strategies have been implemented by sub-regional institutions in the Basque Country. These strategies have been based on the employment of General Purpose Technologies with the objective of modernizing and diversifying the productive structure. Although the sub-regional case has not yet been conceptualised in the literature, we can observe that strategies at this level are taking place in practice. Taking into account the sub-regional level gives more complexity to the governance of innovation systems, and we aim to extract lessons from the Basque case. The paper uses a set of concepts from Science, Technology and Innovation Policies, which help to understand the coherence and coordination mechanisms needed in systems in order to overcome fragmentation and specialisation of actors, institutional levels and territorial levels.