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This paper explores the idea of the entrepreneurial university and how it differs in diverse regional and institutional settings. From the analysis of university engagement in a regional economic development programme in fifteen city-regions in England (UK), this study identifies three roles that entrepreneurial universities play in regional economic development as growth supporter, steerer, and driver. The roles vary depending on regional characteristics, the university's motivation and its capability to engage in third mission activities and the constellation of active stakeholders working towards regional development. In addition to advancing the concept of entrepreneurial universities, this paper explores the contemporary policy trend towards placing a stronger emphasis on universities as drivers of regional economic development.

In this paper, we explore contemporary regional development in a historic industrial region. Specifically, we unpack the influences of industrial history and culture, built up over several centuries, on contemporary regional development dynamics and issues. In doing so, we draw on an evolutionary perspective within economic geography and perspectives from deindustrialization studies to understand how the past shapes the present. We combine these with theories of agency to understand how key actors comprehend the industrial heritage of a place, and how this is incorporated into contemporary regional development efforts. We explore this combination of conceptual lenses through an in-depth case study of Karlskoga, in Sweden, one of the country’s ‘bruksorter’ (mill towns) that grew up around the production of iron and steel, leading to it eventually becoming one of the largest arms manufacturing cities in Europe, home of the well-known Bofors company. However, all has not been plain sailing, and Karlskoga has experienced the challenges of de-population, industrial restructuring, and shocks to the sector upon which the town is reliant. By analysing these mixed fortunes we develop new insights into how regional development is intertwined with structural, institutional, and cultural industrial legacies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation has been a key topic of interest for the regional studies community. In particular, the regional characteristics and impacts of innovation have been a popular theme of enquiry and theorisation, and the community has been at the forefront of discussions around regional innovation systems, in particular. However, we see a large gap in the current state of the art around frugal innovation. The focus of this paper is to place this topic at the heart of our discussions of regional innovation. This is done by providing a case study of frugal innovations in Kashmir over the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, illustrating the urgency and relevance of exploring frugal innovation at the regional level, especially as a rapid place-based crisis response, specifically in a developing nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short paper serves as an introduction to the special issue published in Geografiska Annaler B on the topic of innovation in the periphery. In addition to summarizing the main contributions included within the special issue, this piece reflects on the current state of knowledge in this sub-field and where the gaps are that need to be filled by research going forwards. This collection represents one step in this direction and pushes forward an interdisciplinary and varied approach to studying innovation in the periphery. There are three particular themes relating to innovation in the periphery that this piece picks up: defining peripheries, beyond technological innovation in the periphery and discourses of crisis in the periphery. It finishes with some suggestions for a roadmap, looking forward as to what the future of research in the periphery might be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the book "India from Latin America: Peripherisation, Statebuilding, and Demand-Led Growth" by Manuel Gonzalo, the author explores the emergence of the Indian economy over the past 50 years from the perspective of Latin American developmental economics. Gonzalo draws on various Latin American perspectives, including the structuralism perspective of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the role of the state in the economy, and the National Innovation System (NSI) thinkers. The book is divided into three sections: "peripherisation," "statebuilding," and "demand-led growth," and provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the Indian economy. While the book offers valuable insights, some readers may find the regional differences and the emphasis on the NSI perspective lacking. Overall, the book contributes to the understanding of Indian economic development and promotes South-South learning and dialogue. [Extracted from the article]

We explore the regional engagement of universities in non-core regions in a Global South context and uncover how new universities form and institutionalize regional ties. Through case studies of five new universities in India, we identify three routes – personal, organizational and brokered – through which new universities form regional ties, and four logics – incrementalism, social responsibility, legitimation and rationalization – through which these ties become embedded. We unpack and combine each of the routes and logics into a framework that explains how new ties are formed and developed between a new university and its surrounding non-core region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the unfolding of Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) in one of Europe's innovation-leading metropolitan regions: Stockholm, Sweden. Theoretically, it contributes to debates around change agency and reflects more broadly, which implications arise for metropolitan innovation-leader regions and which are of more generic nature. It argues that actor endowments, dense networks, experience with participatory governance processes and good governance are not sufficient for a successful implementation of RIS3. It finds that transformative regional innovation policy is contingent upon the adequate empowerment of change agents rather than on general regional preconditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we consider the experience of implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) in three regions in Finland, Norway and Denmark. We highlight the challenges each of these 'strong innovator' regions has faced in implementing S3. We elucidate the fact that each region faced different challenges when implementing S3. We extend a discussion around place-based policy, which is designed in a regionally bespoke and bottom-up manner, suggesting that this will inherently throw up unique and variable place-based challenges, questioning how to balance this uniqueness of problems with a universally applicable approach and support infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years a concept gaining much traction amongst both economic and policy communities is that of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EE). We are interested in this concept because it has clear roots in innovation system thinking and can be argued to represent a contemporary iteration of ideas around systemic understandings and policy approaches to economic development, innovation, and entrepreneurship. In our work we have been exploring the links between earlier innovation systems and newer entrepreneurial ecosystem concepts. In this essay, we expand this line of thinking by interrogating the EE concept from the perspective of the work of Christopher Freeman, often called the father of innovation studies. It is our argument that by combining contemporary debates in EE with the more 'classic' literatures from the innovation systems cannon, we can gain a deeper understanding of the trinity of economic development, innovation, and entrepreneurship to be of benefit both to the research and policy communities. Specifically, in this paper we zoom in on two specific elements of Freeman's thinking on innovation systems: context specificity and evolutionary dynamics and push EE thinking forward using these insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the implementation of smart specialization in Europe and exposes challenges arising from moving towards a more strategic (directional and non-neutral), place-based, and bottom-up mode of regional innovation policy. The analysis focuses on two small European nations – Wales and Estonia – and discusses the challenges that they have experienced with designing and implementing directional and non-neutral policies of smart specialization. Through a decade of research, drawing on interviews and documentary analysis, we find that in both cases, the entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) was not conducted as it was envisioned. Furthermore, the undertaking of smart specialization has not necessarily delivered on the promise of orienting regional policy towards a more sustainable, place-based, and bottom-up approach. This has led to a situation where local problems as well as opportunities have been overlooked and local smart specialization agendas have instead been shaped by centrally chosen broad values and directions in a top-down manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]