Conclusion to Unlocking Smart Specialisation

George Papamichail

Chapter 7 in Unlocking Smart Specialisation, 2026, pp 122-134 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This concluding chapter synthesises the book's insights, reflecting on the evolution, achievements and persistent challenges of Smart Specialisation Startegeis (S3) as Europe's flagship regional innovation policy. It highlights the enduring gap between strategic ambition and practical outcomes, underscoring that institutional quality, governance arrangmenets and capacity building are essential pre-conditions for S3 success. Evidence shows that advanced regions struggle mainly with complexity and co-ordination, while less-developed regions face fragmented institutions, weak governance and resource deficits. The chapter shows that transformative implementation requires moving beyond strategy design toward adaptive multi-level governance, multi-scalar co-ordination and continuous institutional learning. Key findings emphasise the role of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) and and the integration of sustainability, resilience and inclusiveness in future S3 frameworks. Building on these insights, it sets research and policy priorities and concludes that S3 transformative potential depends on institutional development, trust-based collaboration and adaptive practice suited to uncertain futures.

Keywords: Adaptive governance; Entrepreneurial discovery process; Governance; Implementation gap; Institutional capacity; Smart specialisation potential (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035346370
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035346387.00019 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:23926_7

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().