The paper focuses on the analysis of different models of (North) Italian RDAs in order to explore their contributions to regional development and to the competitiveness of the regional economic fabric. Coming from some forty years of effectiveness, Italian RDAs are now facing different challenges mainly related to three major points: i) cost-effectiveness and evaluation issue; ii) evolution of the governance structure and stakeholders representativeness; iii) internationalisation of regional economies and RDAs ‘gateway role’. A clear definition and a workable declination of their goals is still the starting point for any evaluation process, but it shouldn’t be considered so obvious. RDAs have to solve many different problems concerning budget constraints and reference stakeholders. We try to distinguish a ‘low profile perspective’ – in which RDAs offers scanty services at ‘political prices’ with the indirect and silly outcome to crowd out market services, and a secondary unintended effect on SMFs which we call ‘switch on/off effect’ (when the stimulus stops the effect equally stalls) – from a ‘high profile perspective’ in which RDAs act as real developer actors within the regional arena. In industrialized and well developed areas (such as the four regions explored) one of the most relevant and profitable role for RDAs is to act as knowledge gateway, nurturing the local productive fabric with external generation of ideas, technologies and market solutions. The paper aims at mixing fresh field evidences – gathered from four different case studies – with a theoretical reasoning founding the three main challenges RDAs have to cope with in their evolving path. We tentatively analyze one case in four different regions – two large ones (Lombardy and Emilia Romagna) and two small ones (Trento Province and Friuli Venezia Giulia) – ranging from general purpose RDAs to more specialized ones, distinguishing, in turn, ‘type 1’ (function oriented) from ‘type 2’ (territorial oriented). At a first exploration the case studies should be: CESTEC SpA (Lombardy); Development Agency of Trento (Trentino); AASTER (Emilia Romagna); and INFORMEST (Friuli Venezia Giulia). At the end the paper will be able to suggest some policy attentions in order to make RDAs work in the future and to determine main conditions at which they can play a positive, strengthened role towards SMFs.
The Uneasy Future of Italian RDAs
BRAMANTI, ALBERTO;
2012
Abstract
The paper focuses on the analysis of different models of (North) Italian RDAs in order to explore their contributions to regional development and to the competitiveness of the regional economic fabric. Coming from some forty years of effectiveness, Italian RDAs are now facing different challenges mainly related to three major points: i) cost-effectiveness and evaluation issue; ii) evolution of the governance structure and stakeholders representativeness; iii) internationalisation of regional economies and RDAs ‘gateway role’. A clear definition and a workable declination of their goals is still the starting point for any evaluation process, but it shouldn’t be considered so obvious. RDAs have to solve many different problems concerning budget constraints and reference stakeholders. We try to distinguish a ‘low profile perspective’ – in which RDAs offers scanty services at ‘political prices’ with the indirect and silly outcome to crowd out market services, and a secondary unintended effect on SMFs which we call ‘switch on/off effect’ (when the stimulus stops the effect equally stalls) – from a ‘high profile perspective’ in which RDAs act as real developer actors within the regional arena. In industrialized and well developed areas (such as the four regions explored) one of the most relevant and profitable role for RDAs is to act as knowledge gateway, nurturing the local productive fabric with external generation of ideas, technologies and market solutions. The paper aims at mixing fresh field evidences – gathered from four different case studies – with a theoretical reasoning founding the three main challenges RDAs have to cope with in their evolving path. We tentatively analyze one case in four different regions – two large ones (Lombardy and Emilia Romagna) and two small ones (Trento Province and Friuli Venezia Giulia) – ranging from general purpose RDAs to more specialized ones, distinguishing, in turn, ‘type 1’ (function oriented) from ‘type 2’ (territorial oriented). At a first exploration the case studies should be: CESTEC SpA (Lombardy); Development Agency of Trento (Trentino); AASTER (Emilia Romagna); and INFORMEST (Friuli Venezia Giulia). At the end the paper will be able to suggest some policy attentions in order to make RDAs work in the future and to determine main conditions at which they can play a positive, strengthened role towards SMFs.
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