Territorial governance and Smart Specialisation: empowering the sub-national level in EU regional policy

Abstract

The concept of territorial governance has been promoted by the European Commission as a central element of European Regional Policy. This article examines the key dimensions of territorial governance, arguing that it is distinct but complementary to multilevel governance as it focuses on the mobilization of regional actor groups and the integration of indigenous knowledge into policymaking processes. It further explores whether there is merit in understanding Smart Specialisation processes as a territorial governance model, using examples of the development and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies from across four Nordic regions. The article finds that Smart Specialisation can be considered a territorial governance approach because it promotes bottom-up policymaking that is driven by local knowledge. By empowering the sub-national level, a territorial governance lens may help mitigate regional disparities and bring European Union regional policymaking closer to citizens. In doing so, territorial governance can help address some of the accountability and legitimacy gaps that have caused widening discontent with the European project at regional and local levels.