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Smart Specialization Regional Development in Times of Uncertainty

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2023) | Viewed by 6473

Special Issue Editors

Department of Economics, Koszalin University of Technology, 75-453 Koszalin, Poland
Interests: tourism; events; entrepreneurship; cultural tourism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Economics, Koszalin University of Technology, 75-453 Koszalin, Poland
Interests: tourism; events; economic geography; social capital

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since 2011, the European Commission has provided advice to regional and national authorities on developing and implementing their smart specialization strategies. Smart specialization is defined as an innovative approach that aims to boost growth and jobs in Europe by enabling each region to identify and develop its own competitive advantages [1] (p. 1). Past studies show that the notion of smart specialization intervenes greatly with sustainable development principles and can become an avenue for long-term resilient growth and change in many European regions [2–4]. Given this, we would like to invite you to submit original research related to intelligent specializations seen from an economic, social, financial, and environmental standpoint. Both theoretical and empirical contributions are appreciated, especially those which will advance our understanding of this critical issue. Due to the COVID-19 impact on regional development, dedicated research linking pandemic outbreaks with regional development and resilience will also be greatly appreciated. 

We welcome original research, review articles, as well as case studies related but not limited to the following topics:

  • Regional smart specialization
  • Policy measures for smart specialization
  • Sustainable regional development
  • Sustainable rural and urban development
  • Transport and logistics in regional development
  • Tourism and hospitality development
  • The impact of COVID-19 on regional smart specialization

References:

  1. European Commission, (2021). Smart Specialization - Strengthening Innovation in Europe’s Regions #SmartRegions
  2. Polido, A., Pires, S. M., Rodrigues, C., & Teles, F. (2019). Sustainable development discourse in smart specialization strategies. Journal of Cleaner Production240, 118224.
  3. Mardhotillah, S., & Handayani, W. (2020, October). The Regional Innovation System Strategy in Semarang City: Positioning in SDGs and Smart City Concept. In Brawijaya International Conference on Multidisciplinary Sciences and Technology (BICMST 2020)(pp. 257-259). Atlantis Press.
  4. Šipilova, V., Ostrovska, I., Jermolajeva, E., Aleksejeva, L., & Olehnovics, D. (2017). Evaluation of sustainable development in rural territories in Latgale Region (Latvia) by using the conception of smart specialization. Journal of teacher Education for Sustainability19(1), 82-105.

Dr. Grzegorz Kwiatkowski
Dr. Luiza Ossowska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable regional development
  • economics
  • innovation
  • entreprenuship
  • specialization

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 502 KiB  
Article
Identification of the Quality Gaps in the Services Offered in Accommodation Facilities in Rural Areas: The Case of the Lublin Region
by Julia Wojciechowska-Solis, Magdalena Śmiglak-Krajewska and Domenico Viti
Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16873; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142416873 - 15 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1237
Abstract
The quality of services offered in accommodation facilities is one of the factors determining the development of this business activity. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly examine the level of customer satisfaction, their expectations and needs. The systematic collection and analysis of the [...] Read more.
The quality of services offered in accommodation facilities is one of the factors determining the development of this business activity. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly examine the level of customer satisfaction, their expectations and needs. The systematic collection and analysis of the opinions of tourists make it possible to learn about their changing expectations and allows the service providers to adapt to them. The purpose of the research that constituted the basis of this article was to identify the quality gaps in the services provided in the accommodation facilities in rural areas of the region of Lublin. The Servqual method was used in the study, thanks to which it was possible to assess the quality criteria and the validity of the provided service. A total of 699 respondents took part in the research. According to the study, the reliability and timeliness of the service, the adherence to the terms and conditions of the service, as well as the willingness to solve customers’ problems, were of the greatest importance for the clients, while the completeness and reliability of the advertising materials turned out to be the least important. With the obtained results, it can be concluded that the expectations of the customers in the accommodation facilities in rural areas exceed the actual state of the offered services. The areas that need to be improved, such as reliability and empathy, were identified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Specialization Regional Development in Times of Uncertainty)
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18 pages, 3853 KiB  
Article
Role of Metropolis in Regional and Global Dimension of Value-Added Chain: Examples from Warsaw and Its Region
by Mariusz-Jan Radło and Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13937; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142113937 - 26 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1225
Abstract
The paper aims to present the role of cities and their surroundings (metropolis) in the creation and flow of value, in order to shift the focus of analysis towards the geography of value chains. The analysis combines notions of a network of cities [...] Read more.
The paper aims to present the role of cities and their surroundings (metropolis) in the creation and flow of value, in order to shift the focus of analysis towards the geography of value chains. The analysis combines notions of a network of cities with value-added chains, usually examined separately, to identify the synergies between them and progress in the methodology of the combination. The aim of the paper is to identify the role of the metropolis in connecting the national and regional economy with the world economy within value chains. We present the metropolis not only as a node in global value chains, but also as an intermediary between global, national, and regional economies. We show that the Warsaw metropolis is strongly linked with itself and the rest of the national economy. In the case of the Mazovia region, the strongest links are with the national economy followed by backward links with the metropolis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Specialization Regional Development in Times of Uncertainty)
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18 pages, 1086 KiB  
Article
Innovation in Peripheral Regions from a Multidimensional Perspective: Evidence from the Middle Pomerania Region in Poland
by Patrycjusz Zarębski, Małgorzata Czerwińska-Jaśkiewicz and Maria Klonowska-Matynia
Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8529; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14148529 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1435
Abstract
Entrepreneurs in peripheral areas need to fully utilize a multidimensional regional environment in order to reduce regional innovation gaps. To gain a deeper theoretical and empirical understanding of the determinants of innovation processes in peripheral areas, this article sheds light not only on [...] Read more.
Entrepreneurs in peripheral areas need to fully utilize a multidimensional regional environment in order to reduce regional innovation gaps. To gain a deeper theoretical and empirical understanding of the determinants of innovation processes in peripheral areas, this article sheds light not only on hard infrastructure and financial factors, but also on institutional, social, and relational factors. Studies of innovation in peripheral areas were conducted with the classic concept of regional innovation systems. Based on the results of a survey among 300 entrepreneurs in Polish peripheral regions, it was found that peripheral regions suffer from a deficit of human and social capital, particularly local leaders and mentoring and networking assistance. In addition, the analysis shows that peripheral regions do not have an effective innovation development strategy, lack institutional capital, and local authorities are not working to remove local barriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Specialization Regional Development in Times of Uncertainty)
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19 pages, 2899 KiB  
Article
Development of Bus Routes Reorganization Support Software Using the Naïve Bayes Classification Method
by Min-ho Suh and Minjoong Jeong
Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4400; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14084400 - 07 Apr 2022
Viewed by 1455
Abstract
Reorganizing city bus routes is generally accomplished by designing bus supply methods to meet passenger demand. The bus supply method involves establishing bus routes and planning their schedules. The actual bus route reorganization decisions are not determined simply by balancing passenger demand and [...] Read more.
Reorganizing city bus routes is generally accomplished by designing bus supply methods to meet passenger demand. The bus supply method involves establishing bus routes and planning their schedules. The actual bus route reorganization decisions are not determined simply by balancing passenger demand and bus supply, but are based on other complex interests, such as bus routes that must exist for welfare but where profits are low. Machine learned prediction models could be helpful when considering such factors in the decision-making process. Here, the Naïve Bayes algorithm was applied to develop the classifier model because of its applicability, even with a limited amount of training data. As the input characteristics for the Naïve Bayes algorithm, data for each individual bus route were featured and cleansed with the actual route improvement decisions. A number of classification models were created by changing training sets and then compared in terms of classification performance such as accuracy, precision, and recall. Modeling and tests were conducted to show how Naïve Bayes classifiers learned in the form of supervised learning can help the route reorganization work. Results from a local governments’ actual route reorganization study were used to train and test the proposed machine learning classification model. As the main contribution of this study, a prediction model was developed to support shortening decision-making for each route, using machine learning algorithms and actual route reorganization research case data. Results verified that such an automatic classifier, or initial route decision proposal software, can provide intuitive support in actual route reorganization research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Specialization Regional Development in Times of Uncertainty)
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