Skills for smart specialisation: Relatedness, complexity and evaluation of priorities

Abstract

The smart specialisation (SS) concept requires a thorough assessment of regional capabilities and strengths to be able to define region-specific policies to reach innovation-led growth. The present study proposes a framework that is based on regional workplace knowledge and skills which are good proxies of regional capabilities. In this regard, it evaluates the SS priorities of regions with respect to their industry spaces built upon regional skill bases characterised by skill relatedness and skill complexity measures. By doing so, it analyses to what extent SS strategies are built on regional capabilities and strengths. It shows that regional heterogeneity plays an important role in the SS policy design. High-income regions tend to prioritise industries in which they have enough capabilities, while low-income regions opt for new production paths.