A strengthened evidence-based approach for more result-oriented S3 strategies

Why a strengthened evidence-based approach for more result-oriented Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) ? Since 2014, with the implementation of the first generation of Smart Specialisation Strategies, we have learnt that governance is key. Weak governance mechanisms can drastically limit the impact of any policy intervention, no matter the allocation of financial resources. The design and implementation of any strategy is the result of consecutive decisions documented by evidences.

The question of how to improve the governance system is at the core of the development of an “intervention-logic” approach, considering that any individual decision has consequences, as a chain, on the following ones.

The methodology offers to policy makers an approach to further associate all stakeholders in the "co-translation" of the territorial vision into practical and targeted inputs and outputs leading to impacts. The approach is an invitation to undertake a journey starting from a fair self-assessment of the regional ecosystem to the selection of realistic interventions to address the policy objectives.

How can governance be improved? Our idea is to consider governance in an holistic way, from the early design of the strategy (or its update) to its implementation and evaluation. The idea of “intervention-logic” is placed at the core of the methodology because the governance is broken down into interrelated and interdepend building blocks following a six-step process:

1. The assessment of the assets of the regional ecosystem.

2. The operationalisation of the strategy (the public intervention)

3. The estimation of the expected outputs and outcomes

4. The planning of the strategy implementation and its management (administrative capacities)

5. The planning of financial resources to set the strategy in motion

6. The verification of the overall coherence of the strategy

The methodology is addressed to regional policy makers in charge of the implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies, to support the decision-making by collecting evidence. Strategy inefficiencies come often from a bad or an over-estimation of the assets and an underestimation of governance and administrative capacities.

As Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) should already be designed, regional transformative pathways covering the green, digitalisation and resilience EU agendas should be embedded as a new element to drive the public intervention. Further to the JRC Policy report published  in January 2021, a forthcoming handbook would provide practical recommendations regarding which information to collect in order to improve the strategy coherence, foster fruitful next generation investments, estimate the expected outcomes, and allocate the resources needed.