When Regional Innovation Policies Meet Policy Rationales and Evidence: A Plea for Policy Analysis

Susana Borrás, Jacint Jordana

    Research output: Working paperResearch

    Abstract

    In spite of recent advancements regarding regional innovation policy rationales and evidence, there are few analyses about the actual features of existing regional innovation policies. Nevertheless, a policy analysis perspective is important in order to recognise their distinctive patterns across regions, and to understand how rationales and evidence can be translated into policy-making. To this purpose, this paper develops a framework to study the extent to which regional innovation policies have changed during the past few years. Since the mid-2000s there has been an important development of innovation policy rationales, advocating for more specialisation; likewise, greater data availability at the regional level has allowed more sophisticated assessment of innovation performance. Finally, the crisis since 2008 has had ravaging effects in some regions, with job losses and severe economic sluggishness. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect transforming dynamics in regional innovation policies. Against this backdrop, the paper compares the institutional frameworks and budgetary priorities of four Spanish regions during the period 2001-2014: Catalonia, the Basque country, Galicia, and Andalusia. In so doing, it aims at studying the extent to which regional governments have readily addressed past and new challenges related to their regional innovation system, and if so, how.
    Original languageEnglish
    Place of PublicationLund
    PublisherLund University
    Number of pages26
    Publication statusPublished - 2016
    SeriesCIRCLE Electronic Working Papers
    Number2016/12

    Keywords

    • Catalonia
    • Basque country
    • Galicia
    • Andalusia
    • Regional innovation system
    • Smart specialisation
    • Policy change
    • Regional advantage
    • Policy mixes
    • Policy instruments
    • Regulatory governance
    • Spain

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