Today the paper “Regional Innovation Systems or Innovative regions? Evidence from Italy“, which I co-authored with Roberto Grandinetti has been released by Tijdschrift.
In this article we delve into the discussion of what drives the innovativeness of regions, studying the performance of all Italian regions via the perspective of the RIS (regional innovation systems) literature.
The analysis on 2008 CIS data, reveals a new geography of innovation in the country as compared to results emerging from studies on the 1990s, suggesting a high dynamism in innovation capabilities of Italian regions. Four clusters of regions are identified, but none of them can be described as a true RIS: the most innovative ones (Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia, Piemonte) lack ‘systemicness’ and those that come closest to the RIS model (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Marche, Trentino Alto Adige, Basilicata) have not the best innovative performance.