The Implementation of the Smart Specialization Approach in the Peripheral Region of Galicia

Abstract

Smart specialization is a key element of the EU regional policy. This chapter analyzes the experience of Galicia, a peripheral region in northwest Spain, and it addresses two main issues: to identify the main drivers and barriers in the prioritization of Galician Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) and to understand the implications of the smart specialization approach on the policy-making process and effectiveness as well as on institutional learning. This research combines a literature review on smart specialization with a case study of the Galician experience, using in-depth semi-structured interviews and the analysis of the Galician innovation system and the innovation policies implemented so far. Our results show that the main weaknesses of the Galician Regional Innovation Smart Specialization Strategy are its limited prioritization, a poor development of the entrepreneurial discovery process, the limited coordination with innovation plans and, finally, the poor evaluation process. This research uses the Galician experience as an illustration of the implementation of the S3 on peripheral regions, providing policy recommendations. This chapter discusses how the S3 is formally implemented in the peripheral region of Galicia, and how the innovation performance and the policy design and implementation have hardly improved. The research highlights some relevant aspects for a proper definition and implementation of S3, which are regional singularities, the level of granularity on prioritization, the inclusiveness of discovery entrepreneurship process, the need for the evaluation and impact, a better coordination and governance, and finding policy synergies. It should also be considered the time required for a strategic definition and prioritization.