Smart Specialisation in Croatia: Between the Cluster and Technological Specialisation

Emira Bečić () and Jadranka Švarc ()

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2015, vol. 6, issue 2, 270-295

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

Keywords: Smart specialisation; Croatia; Narrow concept; Key enabling technologies; Technology followers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-015-0238-7

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