Levelling up regional innovation: A configurational study

What explains the difference between innovative and not-innovative
regions? Capitalizing on the fact that QCA (Qualitative Comparative
Analysis) is a threshold method, this study investigates different
configurations of conditions explaining why regions are innovative
versus almost innovative. The differences suggest what must
‘happen’ in almost-innovative regions to level-up to innovative
regions. The QCA-study uses two different outcomes: new product
development (a less complicated kind of innovation) and patent
application (a more complicated innovation). It includes five
explanatory conditions, capturing idea generation and knowledge
production, and is performed on EU regions. Findings suggest a
diversity of innovation where multiple configurations explain less
sophisticated innovation competencies, but few explain more
sophisticated innovation competences. Levelling-up thus requires
regions to develop new, different competences rather than doing
the same thing better. The seven innovation competences that this
study identifies capture the diversity of innovation. These
competences are the starting point for a discussion on levelling-up.
Encouraging regional innovation is about matching these
competences to a region’s economic possibilities, acknowledging
that few regions will successfully develop all innovation competences.