Theoretical and methodological aspects of forming a model of smart specialization of the regions of Ukraine

Abstract

Given that Ukraine has set a course to build a European model of strategic planning for regional development, it is high time to adopt a new regional development policy, which would take into account the specialization of the region and be multilevel, innovation-oriented, and aimed at strengthening the competitive advantages of regions. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the theoretical and methodological principles of implementation of the smart specialization model in the domestic practice of regional development strategy development. The article considers the theoretical and methodological aspects of a regional development strategy based on smart specialization. The essence features and expediency of the introduction of reasonable specialization at the regional level are emphasized. The dual nature of its functioning is revealed, namely: as a tool of regional development policy and as a concept (technology) of determining priorities for policy development to maximize the innovation capacity of the region. The principles of regional strategies development based on smart specialization are given. The paper provides a vision of developing a regional strategy based on smart specialization, which provides a logical sequence of stages, with a clear definition of tasks, a list of scientific methods, methodological approaches and principles. The ambiguity of the concept of smart specialization is emphasized and the existence of several methodological obstacles to the implementation of smart strategies is substantiated, namely, it is not obvious whether regions with different levels of economic development will benefit equally from its implementation. The paper proves that despite several problems, the solution of which lies in finding a balance of interests in the interaction of government, business, academia, and society, the introduction of smart specialization in the domestic practice of regional development strategy development has no alternatives.