Abstract

The Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) was adopted by the EU as a central pillar of the cohesion policy for the programming period 2014-2020; specifically, for the thematic objectives relating to research and innovation. The aim of this paper is to discuss some of the methodological issues associated with the evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of S3. The paper addresses three aspects that should be taken into consideration when evaluating the impact of S3: a) the policy’s thematic and geographical span; b) the problems raised by its design and implementation; c) the ambiguity surrounding the concepts of specialization and diversification within S3. Keywords: smart specialization strategy, industrial policy, regional development.