Weak Regions in Europe

04.02.2019

WIFO contributions in new publication "Strategic Approaches to Regional Development"

Four WIFO economists publish articles on disadvantaged regions in the EU in an anthology by the respected Regional Studies Association, which has just been published by Routledge.

In December 2018, three WIFO contributions have been published in the anthology "Strategic Approaches to Regional Development. Smart Experimentation in Less-Favoured Regions". The book deals with structural change in economically lagging regions in Europe. Andreas Reinstaller and Fabian Unterlass empirically analyse the role of technology and know-how as location factors both in economically more advanced and less-favoured regions. Together with Johanna Vogel, Stefan Weingärtner examines the role of clusters and the regional economic structure for employment dynamics in economic cycles. Relying on case study evidence, Klaus Friesenbichler discusses the policy dynamics of three regions struggling with economic problems and draws conclusions for economic policy. Topics such as path dependencies, diversification and specialisation, innovation and technology, education and Smart Specialisation Strategies (3S) run through all three chapters and provide valuable insights for regional and European economic policy.

Kristensen, I., Dubois, A., Teräs, J. (Hrsg.), Strategic Approaches to Regional Development: Smart Experimentation in Less-Favoured Regions, Routledge, 2018, https://www.routledge.com/Strategic-Approaches-to-Regional-Development-Smart-Experimentation-in/Kristensen-Dubois-Teras/p/book/9781138084353

Please contact

Dr. Margit Schratzenstaller-Altzinger, MA

Function: Senior Economist, Equal Opportunities Officer

Publications

Studies, August 2015, 183 pages
This study has been prepared for the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), under Specific Contract ENT-SME-14-F-S107-SI2-698839 implementing the Framework Service Contract ENTR/300/PP/2013/FC-WIFO on "Studies in the Area of European Competitiveness" coordinated by the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO; coordinator: Andreas Reinstaller). This service contract is financed by the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs (COSME).
Study by: Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Commissioned by: European Commission
 
The aim of this study is to analyse the development of new industrial specialisations and the process of export diversification both at the country and the regional level for the EU countries over time. It examines to what extent these processes show path dependent properties, whether persistent development trajectories can be shifted in order to avoid structural traps and what role related and unrelated diversification play for the economic performance of regions. Overall, the results of this report and its policy implications underscore that Smart Specialisation policies require a smooth coordination of a larger set of diverse policy measures that take into account both the local context and all the involved players rather than a perfect setup of single policies. In particular, the educational system, specialisation patterns in research and innovation, and foreign direct investments play a key role in diversification processes and should be a constitutive element of Smart Specialisation policies.
© Routledge
© Routledge