The sustainability turn in smart specialization: well-being promotion as a dimension of place-based regional transformation
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Poikela, R., Mäenpää, A., & Leinonen, J. (2026). The sustainability turn in smart specialization: well-Being promotion as a dimension of place-based regional transformation. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2026.2704157
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivativesLicense (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Lataukset20
Pysyvä osoite
Kuvaus
This article examines how the sustainability turn has reshaped smart specialization (S3) and how well-being promotion can be integrated into the new sustainability-oriented S3. Drawing on debates on place-based transformation, well-being, and regional innovation policy, the study analyzes 19 expert interviews conducted in Finland among municipal, regional, and national actors involved in well-being promotion. Methodologically, the article applies theory-oriented qualitative content analysis and uses Seghezzo’s five-dimensional sustainability frame as an analytical framework. The findings show that the sustainability turn has broadened S3 from a primarily competitiveness-oriented policy toward a more place-based, long-term, and socially inclusive approach. Well-being promotion can be connected to this shift through territorially embedded coordination, stronger strategic continuity, and broader participation by citizens, NGOs, and vulnerable groups. The article contributes to research on the new S3 by showing that well-being is not an external social add-on, but a constitutive dimension of sustainability-oriented regional transformation in practice.
Emojulkaisu
ISBN
ISSN
1469-8412
1351-1610
1351-1610
Aihealue
Kausijulkaisu
Innovation: the european journal of social science research
OKM-julkaisutyyppi
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (vertaisarvioitu)