Administrative traditions and the role of conditionality for governance reforms: evidence from the EU regional innovation policy

Abstract

This study examines how governments from different administrative traditions reformed their innovation policy governance following the adoption of the Smart Specialisation approach of EU cohesion policy for the 2014–2020 funding period. Based on four case studies, it argues that different administrative settings played a role in the uptake of intended governance reforms and that thematic ex ante conditionalities were not sufficient to guarantee substantial change in the absence of continuing political and bureaucratic support. The analysis supports the idea that governments and administrations which were already better aligned with the Smart Specialisation logic may have had limited incentive to update their governance structures, while those less aligned with it appeared sincerely motivated to overhaul existing arrangements, yet without proving capable of sustaining the desired changes.