Bìznes Inform (Nov 2020)
Smart Specialization as an Innovative Strategy for the Regional Economic Growth: Experience of Central and Eastern European Countries for Ukraine
Abstract
The initiated processes of reforming the government and public finances in Ukraine have provided real opportunities for increasing the resources for sustainable development of regional economic systems, communities and territories. At the same time, domestic practice shows ineffective mechanisms for implementing the State, regional policy, deepening both interregional and intra-regional asymmetries in terms of socioeconomic development. These aspects highlight the increased interest in the scientific and practical problem of converting opportunities into tools to stimulate economic growth of territories and updating the State Regional Policy of Ukraine, which should be based on the system of multilevel governance of territories and development of its strategic vision, especially in terms of competitive advantages. The purpose of the study is to systematize the experience of strategizing the regions of the EU, Central and Eastern Europe and to carry out a comparative analysis of the choice of priority areas of smart specialization in terms of groups of regions with appropriate economic structure. The object of research in this article are the processes of strategizing the regional development on the basis of smart specialization in Ukraine and the EU Member States. In the course of the research a set of general scientific methods of scientific cognition (system analysis, logical generalization, analogy, comparative analysis) was used, which provided an opportunity to realize the integrity of scientific research. The practices of regional strategy on the basis of smart specialization of Central and Eastern European countries are analyzed. Their economic profile and priorities of reasonable specialization are determined. The peculiarities of the functioning of the economy of the countries / regions selected for analysis are highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the consequences / benefits of implementing innovative strategies for the economic progress of countries / regions. A comparative assessment of the priority areas of smart-specialization of the EU and Ukraine in terms of groups of regions with the appropriate structure of the economy is made. As a result of the study, no unambiguous correspondence was established. Recommendations are given and imperatives are determined, upon which the policy of sustainable growth of the regions of Ukraine should be developed, based on the results of the conducted research.
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