Understanding policy learning in regional innovation policies: lessons from the Galician case

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze how learning happens at regional innovation policies in a multilevel governance framework. We explore the case of Galicia, a region with competencies on innovation policies also affected by two other government levels. Our methodology consisted of in-depth interviews with the persons who bore the major responsibility for innovation policies during last decades. Our findings suggest that the interactions with other government levels are a key channel for policy learning. Sometimes learning is associated with simple imitation of the national level, which might lead to questionable results because neither the previous policy-making trajectory nor the region particularities are taken into account. Other times learning is needed because a new political rationality is imposed. This has been the case of the Smart Specialization strategy in Galicia, which nevertheless was key to enhance social and political participation, a channel for policy learning not used before.