Ambitious or Ambiguous? The Implications of Smart Specialisation for Core-Periphery Relations in Estonia and Slovakia

Schulz, Sebastian

doi:10.1515/bjes-2019-0037

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Over 120 experts (Slovak Academy of Sciences, universities, civil society associations and industry) consulted the document. The priorities were defined by the government and legitimised by stakeholders afterwards in the form of EDP [53].…”

Section: Experiences and Concerns-international Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons Learnt: Changes in the Methodology of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in Defining the Priorities of Hungarian Smart Specialisation Strategies

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study shows how one of the fundamental methods of designing and implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3), the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP), was applied in the period of 2014–2020 and how, taking accrued experience into account, it has been adjusted in the new planning cycle in Hungarian practice. Based on Hungarian strategies and other policy documents, international and Hungarian literature, the study shows that although the involvement of relevant actors in strategic planning and prioritising was achieved in both cycles, the nature of the actors’ participation differed fundamentally in the two periods. We found that learning from the experience of planning the S3 for 2014–2020, the design of the 2021–2027 strategy required improving the focus of priorities, validating priorities and creating an institutional system capable of making EDP continuous during the cycle 2021–2027, in line with the European Commission’s expectations. We concluded that a well-functioning EDP methodology is an essential part of the substantive realisation of an S3 that can be dynamically shaped according to the challenges.

show abstract

Section: Experiences and Concerns-international Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons Learnt: Changes in the Methodology of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in Defining the Priorities of Hungarian Smart Specialisation Strategies

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Slovakia has been a member of the European Union since 2004 and even before the accession to the EU, it was eligible for pre-accession funding (e.g., PHARE projects). Before 2004, the country's economy was based on foreign direct investment (FDI) and the adoption of existing technology [3]. The objective of the EU Cohesion policy was to decrease the gap in productivity and welfare and to foster growth in a way that also supports territorial cohesion between regions [10].…”

Section: Cohesion Policy In Slovakiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Slovakia, like other Central European countries, is heavily dependent on cohesion policy interventions [17]. The country is characterized by large territorial disparities (among the highest in the EU) in economic and social terms [1, 3,16,18]. FDI in the past was mainly located in the western part of the country (Bratislava received 70% of the FDI between 1990 and 2013).…”

Section: Cohesion Policy In Slovakiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In spite of the considerable investments into the regional development in the Slovak Republic, the regional disparities have continuously increased since 1990s, and belong to the largest among the OECD countries [1][2][3][4]. Since the establishment of the Slovak Republic in 1993, the elimination of negative regional differences was declared as the key challenge by national governments; however, economic and social development of peripheral regions in the south-eastern and eastern part of the country is considerably slower than in the west, especially in comparison with the metropolitan region of Bratislava as the capital city.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Program for Lagging Districts as a Framework for Innovative Approaches within the State Regional Development Policies in Slovakia

Finka¹,

Husar²,

Sokol³

2020

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper analyses new approaches in Slovak regional policy based on the law that frames the paradigm shift by introducing a new scheme of state support for lagging districts. This law created the frame for integrated actions in the districts with high unemployment rates and caused wide-reaching structural changes in their peripheral locations. The key difference lies in shifting from the sectoral policy approach to integrated and integrative policies that have so far been absent. The main goal of this policy has been to restart the social and economic development and increase the availability of work opportunities in lagging districts, which has been defined by their monthly unemployment rate over the past years. The concurrence of this government initiative with the Maria Currie project RegPol2 focused on socio-economic and political responses to regional polarization in Central and Eastern Europe, and engagement of academics in the preparation and implementation of the program that has been developed in accordance with this law; this has allowed the use of the latest knowledge and innovative solutions to build on a comprehensive understanding of the problems of decline, using integrative and integrated territorial strategies that capitalize on the scientific achievements in higher efficiency of public intervention efforts. The evaluation of this new approach occurs within the VEGA 1/0789/18 project granted by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Slovak Republic. The paper analyses the applied strategies as tools framed by the new paradigm within the law on supporting lagging districts and discusses the implications in improving the situation in other EU countries. Positive experience as well as identified problems from the program realization have created the base for the definition of a new development strategy for the Slovak Republic 2030 as the main implementation tool of the Agenda 2030 in Slovakia; this is a new act on integrated development that replaces the previous set of less coordinated norms on regional development and cohesion policy.

show abstract

“…Thus, the scope of research of core-peripheral interactions has been expanded. In particular, S. Schulz (2020) [11] considers the issue of core-peripheral interaction in the context of the implementation of cohesian policies in the EU and the development of smart specialization, G. Magerman, K. De Bruyne, J. Van Hove (2020) [12] from the side of influence on the development of international trade.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial disproportions in development of territorial community under conditions of administrative and financial decentralization

Storonyanska

Patytska

Hrynchyshyn

et al. 2020

Agric. resour. econ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to identify the spatial features of the social-economic development of territorial communities in the context of administrative and financial decentralization. Methodology /approach. The method of system analysis is used in the work – to research the spheres of central-peripheral interactions at the level of territorial communities; method of comparative analysis – to identify trends in the formation and development of interactions between the center and the periphery in communities and the factors that determine them; abstract-logical method – for the formation of theoretical generalizations and formulation of conclusions from the research; method of graphic visualization, which allows providing a clear presentation of the results of the analysis; sociological survey of chairmen of local councils of territorial communities of Lviv region – to determine the state of development of central-peripheral interactions in their communities. The key role of territorial and systemic approaches to the analysis of core-peripheral interactions in territorial communities is emphasized, which made it expedient to form a research method based on taking into account the conditions for the development of a particular environment and existing spatial restrictions. Results. The article identifies the features of the formation of core-peripheral interactions in the territorial communities of rural areas. It is focused on the formation of derivative core-peripheral interactions that arise in the territorial communities created during the implementation of administrative-territorial reform. On the basis of a systematic and comprehensive analysis, the existing and hidden core-peripheral dependencies were identified and the features of the mutual influence of the centers of the united territorial communities of the rural areas of the Lviv region on the socio-economic development of the community territory were revealed. The problems and risks of the development of the territory of the community are substantiated in the context of the mutual influence of a derivative nature. Originality / scientific novelty. A scientific approach to the identification of central-peripheral interactions in territorial communities was developed, which allows identifying the spatial effects of social, economic, managerial interactions of the center and the periphery within the community. A scientific-and-methodological approach to the assessment of central-peripheral interactions was developed, which provides for the selection of community groups according to certain criteria (community type (urban / rural / urban), community composition, location in the region) and their diagnosis in areas: analysis of strategic documents of local council on the development of central-peripheral interactions in a community; analysis of the management structure of the local council, representation of peripheral communities, compliance of the composition and structure of the governing body with the goals of community development; analysis of budget support for infrastructure development; research of employment opportunities in the community. The application of the approach will reveal the patterns of formation of central-peripheral interactions at the level of territorial communities. Practical value / implications. The results of the study make it possible to have a more comprehensive assessment of the state of the formation of central-peripheral interactions in territorial communities, contribute to the identification of risks of social conflict between different groups in the community and to form recommendations for their activation. The results are recommended for consideration by local governments when preparing proposals for socio-economic development and ensuring the financial capacity of local communities.

show abstract

Ambitious or Ambiguous? The Implications of Smart Specialisation for Core-Periphery Relations in Estonia and Slovakia

Cited by 7 publications

References 18 publications

Lessons Learnt: Changes in the Methodology of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in Defining the Priorities of Hungarian Smart Specialisation Strategies

Lessons Learnt: Changes in the Methodology of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in Defining the Priorities of Hungarian Smart Specialisation Strategies

Program for Lagging Districts as a Framework for Innovative Approaches within the State Regional Development Policies in Slovakia

Spatial disproportions in development of territorial community under conditions of administrative and financial decentralization

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About