DTA

Corso Ordinario Secondo Livello

GRONCHI, IACOPO

iacopo.gronchi@outlook.com

etd-05142022-173306

Innovation governance and its underpinnings: A comparative analysis of RIS3 in Toscana and Emilia Romagna

Cl. Sc. Sociali - Scienze Politiche

SCIENZE POLITICHE - SCIENZE POLITICHE

Tutor Prof. NATALI, DAVID
Relatore Prof. BELLINI, NICOLA
Presidente Prof. DE GUTTRY, ANDREAS M.T.
Membro Prof. BRESSANELLI, Edoardo
Membro Prof.ssa CRISTIANI, ELOISA

• Emilia Romagna
• governance
• innovation policy
• innovation systems
• regional policy
• RIS3
• Toscana
• varieties of capitalism

08/06/2022;

parziale

This thesis investigates the role that the state can play in nurturing and steering technological innovation through the lenses of the so-called «embedded autonomy» hypothesis (Evans, 1995). Stem from the study of newly industrialising countries, such hypothesis argues that the design of state structures plays a crucial role in determining the capacity of the public sector to govern the economy. Exploring the underpinnings of public sector innovation governance, the thesis leverages interdependent, but usually disconnected streams of research to assess and rethink the implications of the embedded autonomy hypothesis in the context of advanced capitalist countries.<br><br>Grounding my research in an understanding of technological innovation as a governance problem of collective action (Potts, 2019) I infer from the existing literature two hypotheses: first, a theoretical model of innovation governance for the public sector; second, the embedded autonomy as a key organisational requisite for its successful implementation. The innovation governance model outlines a rationale for the public sector to act as a «network catalyst» through execution of four key tasks: «targeted resourcing; opening windows; brokering; and facilitation» (Block, 2008). The concept of embedded autonomy concept, instead, identifies how diverse state structures may facilitate or prevent the implementation of such a model, and therefore be conducive to divergences in innovation outcomes.<br><br>To test the hypotheses, I lead an empirical analysis of innovation governance in comparative perspective. To do so, I use a mixed methods approach composed of process tracing analysis, key informant technique, and quantitative-qualitative data triangulation. The approach is applied to a most similar systems design comparing key stakeholders, processes, and innovation outcomes of the Research &amp; Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) which have been crafted and implemented throughout the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework 2014–2020 by two Italian regions: Toscana and Emilia Romagna.<br><br>As an outcome, I provide preliminary evidence in support of the hypotheses. On the one hand, I show how both regions experienced positive innovation outcomes by performance of the four tasks envisioned in the innovation governance model. On the other hand, I argue that the better results achieved by Emilia-Romagna relative to Toscana can be partially explained by the higher capacity of its innovation governance mode to develop organisational conditions of embedded autonomy. Based on the results, the relevance of the embedded autonomy hypothesis for the governance of innovation systems is specified in three respects – political, organisational, administrative – and pathways for future research efforts outlined.

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