Common Frameworks for Regional Competitiveness: Insights from a Number of Local Knowledge Economies

Abstract: In a reference framework towards the knowledge economy concept and in relation to the notion of Regional Innovation System (RIS), the paper analyses a set of European regions that in the last two decades experienced a process of economic and industrial renewal, with a two-fold aim. Focusing on the time dynamics of the territories ’ renewal, we first classify the different regional development paths followed by the very regions under investigation in their process towards a knowledge economy. Secondly, we compare the above territories with a sample of Italian regions (those with the highest employment level in manufacturing activities and the largest income per-capita). Even though the European benchmarking regions are specialized in high-tech sectors, they had an industrial past based on heavy and traditional industries. In this respect, the two groups are not so different in nature, and their comparison reveals some interesting local policy implications and strategic insights for the regional transformation process.