Relatedness and connectivity in technological domains: missing links in S3 design and implementation

ABSTRACTEuropean guidelines for the smart specialization strategy (S3) required regions to identify synergies between technological domains within the same region (relatedness) and potential links of the chosen domains with other European regions (connectivity). The aim of this paper is to analyse if and to what extent regions have been able to implement such indications and the methodology adopted. The paper is based on a content analysis of the S3 documents approved by Italian regions. The empirical analysis reveals that only in a few cases regions considered relatedness and connectivity of technological domains. Moreover, the methods adopted by regions to detect potential links between the specialization domains is based more on anecdotal evidence than on the application of theoretically grounded methodologies. The paper suggests that the explanation for this omission is the absence of a consolidated methodology to deal with these issues and proposes some preliminary guidelines to overcome the problem.