Inteligentne specjalizacje regionów – wyzwania, możliwości i dylematy
Smart Specialization of the Polish Regions. Conditions, Challenges and Dilemmas

Summary/Abstract: The core premises of the concept of smart specialization, its roots, its role in the future Cohesion Policy of the EU and the place it occupies in the legal regulations for the EU financial perspective 2014-2020 constitute a background for the presentation of the efforts undertaken to identify smart specializations for the Polish regions. These efforts served as the basis for producing new relevant strategic documentation. Proposing a fully-fledged evaluation report on the choices made - with the main emphasis on the growth of cohesion and competitiveness of the regions – is most probably a premature step to take. However, the topicality of the issue at hand and the need for the debate on the pros and cons of the conception of smart specialization, along with the best practices in the field and potential challenges and risks encourage the author to discuss – to the widest possible extent – the following issues: – the role of regional and local government in the processes of implementing the strategy of smart specializations; – the supraregional and subregional dimensions of the smart specialization strategy and their connections with the already functioning and newly created clusters; – opportunities for stimulating positive changes in this area, with the use of the EU structural funds as well as other EU financial instruments; – dilemmas and challenges which must be addressed already at the stage of the identification of the leading areas of smart specialization; – claims and suggestions concerning further actions to foster partnership and support integrated regional development.

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