Advanced Introduction to Smart Specialisation Strategies

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.

This timely Advanced Introduction analyses the European Union’s innovation policy on smart specialisation strategies (S3). Dominique Foray and Jan-Philipp Kramer clarify the S3 theory, outlining its core concepts and assessing policy progress at regional and national levels.

Key Features:

• Explains how S3 concepts challenge traditional innovation policy theory
• Connects academic theory with practical insights, providing a foundation of evidence regarding the history of S3 strategies
• Proposes suggestions for effective smart specialisation policymaking based on novel quantitative and qualitative assessments

The Advanced Introduction to Smart Specialisation Strategies is a key resource for scholars and students of economics, finance, innovation and technology. S3 policymakers and development professionals will similarly benefit from its astute perspective and actionable recommendations.

Dominique Foray, Emeritus Professor of Innovation Economics, College of Management, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland and Jan-Philipp Kramer, Partner and Director, Prognos AG, Brussels, Belgium