Collaborative innovation policy and regional development

David A. Wolfe

Chapter 8 in The Governance of Innovation Spaces, 2026, pp 169-216 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter examines the design and implementation of place-based innovation policy at the regional and urban scale, comparing the European Union's Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) with major US place-based industrial policy initiatives – particularly the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Successful implementation of both approaches requires collaborative governance arrangements – including civic capital, collaborative organizations, and multi-level governance frameworks – to translate national and supra-national policy directives into effective local action through what the author terms “local social knowledge management” exercises. The chapter traces the evolution of S3 from a theoretical concept into the core of EU Cohesion Policy, examining how the principle of “entrepreneurial discovery” was intended to engage local actors in identifying distinctive regional assets and research capabilities. Drawing on case studies from European regions, it identifies persistent implementation challenges, including the tension between top-down EU administrative requirements and the bottom-up discovery process that S3 requires – a tension captured in the concept of the “regional innovation paradox”. In the US context, it discusses how four legislative acts directed approximately $80 billion in place-based development spending, comparing this with Europe's more structured Cohesion Policy framework. Case studies from northeast Ohio, New York City's innovation district initiatives, and European regional strategies illustrate how local governance arrangements and civic capital enable effective policy implementation. The chapter also addresses how recent political developments pose challenges to these approaches while affirming the enduring value of collaborative, experimental governance.

Keywords: Smart Specialization Strategy; Place-based Industrial Policy; Experimental Governance; Multi-level Governance; Collaborative Innovation Policy; Regional Innovation Paradox (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035320783
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