CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 856Regional Development and PolicyEconomic and Technological InnovationRegional resilience and development

Smart specialization policy in the European Union: relatedness, knowledge complexity and regional diversification

Open access
Balland, Pierre-Alexandre, Boschma, Ron, Crespo, Joan, Rigby, David L.·2019·Regional Studies
DOI 10.1080/00343404.2018.1437900
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

The operationalization of smart specialization policy has been rather limited because a coherent set of analytical tools to guide the policy directives remains elusive. We propose a policy framework around the concepts of relatedness and knowledge complexity. We show that diversifying into more complex technologies is attractive but difficult for European Union regions to accomplish. Regions can overcome this diversification dilemma by developing new complex technologies that build on local related capabilities. We use these findings to construct a policy framework for smart specialization that highlights the potential risks and rewards for regions of adopting competing diversification strategies.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1080/00343404.2018.1437900

Cites

5 of 5 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The smart specialization approach aims to capitalize on path dependencies by building on existing strengths in a region.

    “From a policy perspec -tive, the smart specialization approach aims to capitalize on path dependencies by building on the existing strengths in a region (cf. Balland et al., 2018).”

    From Toward an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Research Program (2022) · cites this paper as Balland et al., 2018

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 63

  1. Abernathy, W. J., & Clark, K. B. (1985). Innovation: Mapping the winds of creative destruction. Research Policy, 14(1), 3-22. doi:10.1016/0048-7333(85)90021-6 · DOI
  2. Asheim, B., Boschma, R., & Cooke, P. (2011). Constructing regional advantage: Platform policies based on related variety and differen- tiated knowledge bases. Regional Studies, 45(7), 893-904. doi:10. 1080/00343404.2010.543126 · DOI
  3. Asheim, B., Grillitsch, M., & Trippl, M. (2016). Smart specialization as an innovation-driven strategy for economic diversification: Examples from Scandinavian regions (Papers in Innovation Studies No. 2016/23) (pp. 73-97). Lund: Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE), Lund University.
  4. Asheim, B. T., & Gertler, M. S. (2005). The geography of inno- vation: Regional innovation systems. In J. Fagerberg, D. C. Mowery, & R. R. Nelson (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of inno- vation (pp. 291-317). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  5. Atkinson, A. B., & Stiglitz, J. E. (1969). A new view of technological change. Economic Journal, 79, 573-578. doi:10.2307/2230384 · DOI
  6. Balland, P. A. (2016). Relatedness and the geography of innovation. In R. Shearmur, C. Carrincazeaux, & D. Doloreux (Eds.), Handbook on the geographies of innovation (pp. 127-141). Northampton: Edward Elgar.
  7. Balland, P. A., & Rigby, D. (2017). The geography of complex knowledge. Economic Geography, 93(1), 1-23. doi:10.1080/ 00130095.2016.1205947 · DOI
  8. Balland, P. A., Rigby, D., & Boschma, R. (2015). The technological resilience of U.S. cities. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 8(2), 167-184. doi:10.1093/cjres/rsv007 · DOI
  9. Bathelt, H., Malmberg, A., & Maskell, P. (2004). Clusters and knowledge: Local buzz, global pipelines and the process of knowledge creation. Progress in Human Geography, 28, 31-56. doi:10.1191/0309132504ph469oa · DOI
  10. Boschma, R. (2014). Constructing regional advantage and smart specialisation: Comparison of two European policy concepts. Italian Journal of Regional Science, 13(1), 51-68. doi:10.3280/ SCRE2014-001004 · DOI
  11. Boschma, R. (2017). Relatedness as driver of regional diversification: A research agenda. Regional Studies, 51(3), 351-364. doi:10. 1080/00343404.2016.1254767 · DOI
  12. Boschma, R., Balland, P. A., & Kogler, D. (2015). Relatedness and technological change in cities: The rise and fall of technological knowledge in US metropolitan areas from 1981 to 2010. Industrial and Corporate Change, 24(1), 223-250. doi:10.1093/ icc/dtu012 · DOI
  13. Breschi, S., Lissoni, F., & Malerba, F. (2003). Knowledge-related- ness in firm technological diversification. Research Policy, 32(1), 69-87. doi:10.1016/S0048-7333(02)00004-5 · DOI
  14. Camagni, R., & Capello, R. (2013). Regional innovation patterns and the EU regional policy reform: Toward smart innovation pol- icies. Growth and Change, 44(2), 355-389. doi:10.1111/grow. 12012 · DOI
  15. Capello, R., & Kroll, H. (2016). From theory to practice in smart specialization strategy: Emerging limits and possible future tra- jectories. European Planning Studies, 24(8), 1393-1406. doi:10. 1080/09654313.2016.1156058 · DOI
  16. Castaldi, C., Frenken, K., & Los, B. (2015). Related variety, unre- lated variety and technological breakthroughs: An analysis of US state-level patenting. Regional Studies, 49(5), 767-781. doi:10.1080/00343404.2014.940305 · DOI
  17. Chatterjee, S., & Wernerfelt, B. (1991). The link between resources and type of diversification: Theory and evidence. Strategic Management Journal, 12(1), 33-48. doi:10.1002/smj. 4250120104 · DOI
  18. Coffano, M., & Foray, D. (2014). The centrality of entrepreneurial discovery in building and implementing a smart specialisation strategy. Italian Journal of Regional Science, 13, 33-50. doi:10. 3280/SCRE2014-001003 · DOI
  19. Cortinovis, N., Xiao, J., Boschma, R., & van Oort, F. (2017). Quality of government and social capital as drivers of regional diversifica- tion in Europe. Journal of Economic Geography, 17, 1179-1208. doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbx001 · DOI
  20. Essletzbichler, J. (2015). Relatedness, industrial branching and tech- nological cohesion in US metropolitan areas. Regional Studies, 49, 752-766. doi:10.1080/00343404.2013.806793 · DOI
  21. Fitjar, R. D., & Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2011). When local interaction does not suffice: Sources of firm innovation in urban Norway. Environment and Planning A, 43(6), 1248-1267. doi:10.1068/ a43516 · DOI
  22. Fleming, L., & Sorenson, O. (2001). Technology as a complex adap- tive system: Evidence from patent data. Research Policy, 30, 1019- 1039. doi:10.1016/S0048-7333(00)00135-9 · DOI · Paper page
  23. Foray, D. (2015). Smart specialization: Opportunities and challenges for regional innovation policy. London: Routledge/Regional Studies Association.
  24. Frenken, K., & Boschma, R. A. (2007). A theoretical framework for evolutionary economic geography: Industrial dynamics and urban growth as a branching process. Journal of Economic Geography, 7(5), 635-649. doi:10.1093/jeg/lbm018 · DOI
  25. Frenken, K., Van Oort, F. G., & Verburg, T. (2007). Related variety, unrelated variety and regional economic growth. Regional Studies, 41(5), 685-697. doi:10.1080/00343400601120296 · DOI
  26. Grillitsch, M. (2016). Institutions, smart specialisation dynamics and policy. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 34, 22-37. doi:10.1177/0263774X15614694 · DOI
  27. Grillitsch, M., & Nilsson, M. (2015). Innovation in peripheral regions: Do collaborations compensate for a lack of local knowl- edge spillovers? Annals of Regional Science, 54(1), 299-321. doi:10.1007/s00168-014-0655-8 · DOI
  28. Harhoff, D., Scherer, F., & Vopel, K. (2003). Citations, family size, opposition and the value of patent rights -Evidence from Germany. Research Policy, 32, 1343-1363. doi:10.1016/S0048- 7333(02)00124-5 · DOI
  29. Hausmann, R., Hidalgo, C. A., Bustos, S., Coscia, M., Simoes, A., & Yildirim, M. A. (2014). The atlas of economic complexity: Mapping paths to prosperity. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  30. Heimeriks, G., & Balland, P. A. (2016). How smart is specialisation? An analysis of specialisation patterns in knowledge production. Science and Public Policy, 43(4), 562-574. doi:10.1093/scipol/scv061 · DOI
  31. Hidalgo, C., & Hausmann, R. (2009). The building blocks of econ- omic complexity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106, 10570-10575. doi:10.1073/pnas.0900943106 · DOI · Paper page
  32. Hidalgo, C., Klinger, B., Barabassi, A., & Hausmann, R. (2007). The product space conditions the development of nations. Science, 317, 482-487. doi:10.1126/science.1144581 · DOI
  33. Iacobucci, D. (2014). Designing and implementing a smart specialis- ation strategy at regional level: Some open questions. Italian Journal of Regional Science, 13, 107-126. doi:10.3280/ SCRE2014-001006 · DOI
  34. Iacobucci, D., & Guzzini, E. (2016). Relatedness and connectivity in technological domains: Missing links in S3 design and implementation. European Planning Studies, 24(8), 1511-1526. doi:10.1080/09654313.2016.1170108 · DOI
  35. Karo, E., & Kattel, R. (2015). Economic development and evolving state capacities in Central and Eastern Europe: can 'smart specialization' make a difference? Journal of Economic Policy Reform, 18(2), 172-187. doi:10.1080/17487870.2015. 1009068 · DOI
  36. Kroll, H. (2015). Efforts to implement smart specialization in practice -Leading unlike horses to the water. European Planning Studies, 23(10), 2079-2098. doi:10.1080/09654313.2014.1003036 · DOI
  37. Lawson, C., & Lorenz, E. (1999). Collective learning, tacit knowl- edge and regional innovative capacity. Regional Studies, 33, 305-317. doi:10.1080/713693555 · DOI
  38. Maskell, P., & Malmberg, A. (1999). Localised learning and indus- trial competitiveness. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 23(2), 167- 186. doi:10.1093/cje/23.2.167 · DOI
  39. Matti, C., Consoli, D., & Uyarra, E. (2017). Multilevel policy mixes and industry emergence. The case of wind energy in Spain. Environment and Planning C, 35(4), 661-683.
  40. McCann, P., & Ortega-Argilés, R. (2013). Transforming European regional policy: A results-driven agenda and smart specialization. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 29(2), 405-431. doi:10.1093/ oxrep/grt021 · DOI
  41. McCann, P., & Ortega-Argilés, R. (2015). Smart specialization, regional growth and applications to European Union Cohesion Policy. Regional Studies, 49(8), 1291-1302. doi:10.1080/ 00343404.2013.799769 · DOI
  42. McCann, P., van Oort, F., & Goddard, J. (Eds.). (2017). The empiri- cal and institutional dimensions of smart specialisation. Abingdon: Routledge.
  43. Miguelez, E., & R. Moreno. (2017). Relatedness, external linkages and regional innovation in Europe. Regional Studies. doi:10. 1080/00343404.2017.1360478 · DOI
  44. Montresor, F., & Quatraro, F. (2017). Regional branching and Key enabling technologies: Evidence from European patent data. Economic Geography, 93(4), 367-396. doi:10.1080/00130095. 2017.1326810 · DOI
  45. Moodysson, J., M. Trippl, & E. Zukauskaite. (2016). Policy learning and smart specialization: Balancing policy change and continuity for new regional industrial paths. Science and Public Policy, 44, 382-391. doi:10.1093/scipol/scw071 · DOI
  46. Morgan, K. (2015). Smart specialisation: Opportunities and chal- lenges for regional innovation policy. Regional Studies, 49(3), 480-482. doi:10.1080/00343404.2015.1007572 · DOI
  47. Morgan, K. J. (2017). Nurturing novelty: Regional innovation policy in the age of smart specialisation. Environment and Planning C, 35(4), 569-583.
  48. Neffke, F., Henning, M., & Boschma, R. (2011). How do regions diversify over time? Industry relatedness and the development of new growth paths in regions. Economic Geography, 87(3), 237-265. doi:10.1111/j.1944-8287.2011.01121.x · DOI · Paper page
  49. Petralia, S., Balland, P. A., & Morrison, A. (2017). Climbing the lad- der of technological development. Research Policy, 46(5), 956- 969. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2017.03.012 · DOI
  50. Rigby, D. (2015). Technological relatedness and knowledge space: Entry and exit of US cities from patent classes. Regional Studies, 49(11), 1922-1937. doi:10.1080/00343404.2013.854878 · DOI
  51. Rigby, D. L., & Essletzbichler, J. (1997). Evolution, process variety, and regional trajectories of technological change in U.S. manufacturing. Economic Geography, 73(3), 269-284. doi:10. 2307/144484 · DOI
  52. Rodríguez-Pose, A., di Cataldo, M., & A. Rainoldi. (2014). The role of government institutions for smart specialisation and regional development (S3 Policy Brief Series No. 4). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. doi:10.2791/71842 · DOI
  53. Simon, H. A. (1962). The architecture of complexity. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 106, 467-482.
  54. Sorenson, O., Rivkin, J., & Fleming, L. (2006). Complexity, net- works and knowledge flow. Research Policy, 35(7), 994-1017. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2006.05.002 · DOI
  55. Sörvik, J., Midtkandal, I., Marzocchi, C., & E. Uyarra. (2016). How outward looking is smart specialization? Results from a survey on inter-regional collaboration in smart specialisation strategies (S3 Policy Brief Series No. 16/2016, EUR 27795 EN). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. doi:10.2791/943671 · DOI
  56. Tanner, A. N. (2014). Regional branching reconsidered: Emergence of the fuel cell industry in European regions. Economic Geography, 90(4), 403-427. doi:10.1111/ecge.12055 · DOI
  57. Tavassoli, S., & Carbonara, N. (2014). The role of knowledge variety and intensity for regional innovation. Small Business Economics, 43, 493-509. doi:10.1007/s11187-014-9547-7 · DOI
  58. Trajtenberg, M. (1990). A penny for your quotes: Patent citations and the value of innovations. RAND Journal of Economics, 21, 172- 187. doi:10.2307/2555502 · DOI
  59. Valdaliso, J. M., Magro, E., Navarro, M., Aranguren, M. J., & Wilson, J. R. (2014). Path dependence in policies supporting smart specialisation strategies: Insights from the Basque case. European Journal of Innovation Management, 17(4), 390-408. doi:10.1108/EJIM-12-2013-0136 · DOI
  60. Van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2009). How to normalize cooccur- rence data? An analysis of some well-known similarity measures. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 8, 1635-1651.
  61. Webber, M., Sheppard, E., & Rigby, D. (1992). Forms of technical change. Environment and Planning A, 24, 1679-1709. doi:10. 1068/a241679 · DOI
  62. Weitzman, M. L. (1998). Recombinant growth. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 113(2), 331-360. doi:10.1162/003355 398555595 · DOI
  63. Xiao, J., R. Boschma, & M. Andersson. (2018). Resilience in the European Union: The effect of the 2008 crisis on the ability of regions in Europe to develop new industrial specializations. Industrial and Corporate Change, 27, 15-47. doi:10.1093/icc/ · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Balland, P.-A., Boschma, R., Crespo, J., & Rigby, D. L.
Affiliations
  • Utrecht University (NL)
  • Laboratoire d’Étude et de Recherche sur l’Économie, les Politiques et les Systèmes Sociaux (FR)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Corresponding author
Boschma, Ron
ORCID
Venue
Regional Studies
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2018-03-06
Volume
53
Issue
9
Pages
1252-1268
ISSN
  • 0034-3404 (ISSN-L)
  • 1360-0591
DOI
10.1080/00343404.2018.1437900
OpenAlex
W2791808130
Cited by
856
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 151 · 2025: 139 · 2024: 126 · 2023: 107 · 2022: 109 · 2021: 99 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 44 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 2
FWCI
241.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Regional Studies (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Repositori UJI (Universitat Jaume I) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Regional Studies Association
  • Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe (438-13-406)
  • European Commission
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Regional Development and Policy
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economic and Technological Innovation
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Regional resilience and development
Keywords
relatedness, knowledge complexity, regional diversification, regional innovation policy, European Union regions, policy framework, technological diversification, local capabilities, regional competitiveness

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review