Something like that 😉

I recognise that visualisation very well 😄

Congrats with the publication 😊

Not my website I’m afraid - somebody just bought the domain.

6/ Overall, I really enjoyed working on this paper with @tbroekel.bsky.social & Korneliusz Pylak, and I would encourage you to check out the paper in full:

www.tandfonline.com/eprint/CD4C5...

6/ Such approaches, while perhaps less risky on the surface, undermine the core of the logic for a Smart Specialisation intervention. A particularly relevant question as the concept of Smart Specialisation develops.

5/ So, why then do regions follow peers or role models? It’s oftentimes practical.

Aligning with neighbours or national strategies reduces complexity and feels less risky. But this can lead to homogenisation—regions choosing the same priorities and overlooking what makes them unique.

4/ Follow the Indicators seems like the most logical approach—prioritising strengths, related industries, and economic potential.

It's also much more likely to align closely with the logic of Smart Specialisation.

3/ We found three common approaches to how regions choose their focus areas in S3:

1️⃣ Follow the Peers: Align with neighbours or similar regions.

2️⃣ Follow the Role Models: Emulate successful or popular regions.

3️⃣ Follow the Indicators: Base decisions on data and regional strengths.

2/ Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) are meant to help regions focus on industries where they can have a competitive edge.

However, often, regions rely on what others are doing—aligning with neighbours or successful regions—rather than fully basing their choices on data or unique strengths.

This answers my question of why I had 36 BlueSky notifications just today having had very little happen beforehand 😅

Great idea though 🤩