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Regional foresight and dynamics of smart specialization: A typology of regional diversification patterns

Piirainen, Kalle A. ; Tanner, Anne LU and Alkærsig, Lars (2017) In Technological Forecasting and Social Change 115.
Abstract
The concept of smart specialization has attracted great interest and has been adopted widely in European regional and innovation policy. Foresight is an important part of creating smart specialization strategies. However, both the smart specialization concept and foresight have been criticized for lacking an empirical and theoretical foundation that can help guide their application in practice. This paper contributes to the theoretical foundation of smart specialization and regional foresight by drawing on the field of economic geography and elaborating a typology for patterns of smart specialization. We highlight that there are different paths to reaching smart specialization within the same industrial domain. The empirical research... (More)
The concept of smart specialization has attracted great interest and has been adopted widely in European regional and innovation policy. Foresight is an important part of creating smart specialization strategies. However, both the smart specialization concept and foresight have been criticized for lacking an empirical and theoretical foundation that can help guide their application in practice. This paper contributes to the theoretical foundation of smart specialization and regional foresight by drawing on the field of economic geography and elaborating a typology for patterns of smart specialization. We highlight that there are different paths to reaching smart specialization within the same industrial domain. The empirical research focuses on the offshore wind service sector in four regions around the North Sea. The findings corroborate a typology that offers four distinct patterns—diversification, transition, radical foundation, and modernization—all of which can enable the creation of new industrial activities where regions enter an emerging industry based on fundamentally different starting points. (Less)
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author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Regional foresight, Renewable energy, Foresight, Smart specialization dynamics, Regional branching, Offshore wind servicing, Smart specialization policy
in
Technological Forecasting and Social Change
volume
115
publisher
Elsevier
ISSN
0040-1625
DOI
10.1016/j.techfore.2016.06.027
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
1d74c551-4415-41b9-bb0a-d04bbc44e685
date added to LUP
2016-11-15 07:27:35
date last changed
2021-08-11 04:03:28
@article{1d74c551-4415-41b9-bb0a-d04bbc44e685,
  abstract     = {{The concept of smart specialization has attracted great interest and has been adopted widely in European regional and innovation policy. Foresight is an important part of creating smart specialization strategies. However, both the smart specialization concept and foresight have been criticized for lacking an empirical and theoretical foundation that can help guide their application in practice. This paper contributes to the theoretical foundation of smart specialization and regional foresight by drawing on the field of economic geography and elaborating a typology for patterns of smart specialization. We highlight that there are different paths to reaching smart specialization within the same industrial domain. The empirical research focuses on the offshore wind service sector in four regions around the North Sea. The findings corroborate a typology that offers four distinct patterns—diversification, transition, radical foundation, and modernization—all of which can enable the creation of new industrial activities where regions enter an emerging industry based on fundamentally different starting points.}},
  author       = {{Piirainen, Kalle A. and Tanner, Anne and Alkærsig, Lars}},
  issn         = {{0040-1625}},
  keywords     = {{Regional foresight; Renewable energy; Foresight; Smart specialization dynamics; Regional branching; Offshore wind servicing; Smart specialization policy}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Technological Forecasting and Social Change}},
  title        = {{Regional foresight and dynamics of smart specialization: A typology of regional diversification patterns}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.06.027}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.techfore.2016.06.027}},
  volume       = {{115}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}