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Nurturing novelty: Regional innovation policy in the age of smart specialisation

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  • Kevin Morgan

Abstract

Smart specialisation is the most ambitious regional innovation programme ever to be launched in the European Union and it affords a unique opportunity to explore the interplay between institutions, innovation and development. The article argues that smart specialisation makes unprecedented demands on public sector bodies to nurture more collaborative forms of economic search and craft more inclusive forms of regional governance. To explore these issues with the granularity they deserve, the article offers detailed case studies of two regional innovation policy repertoires in Wales and the Basque Country, where it is argued that the ‘old industrial region’ moniker conceals as much as it reveals because, for all their apparent similarities, they have pursued very different repertoires. The article concludes on a more general note by suggesting how regional innovation studies could be enriched by engaging with theoretical perspectives from other fields.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Morgan, 2017. "Nurturing novelty: Regional innovation policy in the age of smart specialisation," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(4), pages 569-583, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:35:y:2017:i:4:p:569-583
    DOI: 10.1177/0263774X16645106
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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Alison Blay-Palmer & Guido Santini & Marielle Dubbeling & Henk Renting & Makiko Taguchi & Thierry Giordano, 2018. "Validating the City Region Food System Approach: Enacting Inclusive, Transformational City Region Food Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-23, May.
    3. Pierre-Alexandre Balland & Ron Boschma & Joan Crespo & David L. Rigby, 2017. "Smart Specialization policy in the EU: Relatedness, Knowledge Complexity and Regional Diversification," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1717, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jul 2017.
    4. Miren Larrea & Miren Estensoro & Martina Pertoldi, 2019. "Multilevel governance for smart specialisation: basic pillars for its construction," JRC Research Reports JRC116076, Joint Research Centre.

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