This research presents a bottom-up methodology for assessing biogas potentials applied in a local community in Croatia. The research is based on analysing the flow of resources on a local level and ...capability of local actors to innovate and cooperate. Our method grades the local actors – in this case, owners of family farms in Gundinci municipality in Croatia – based on their farms’ biogas potential (or the amount and quality of manure they produce) and an indicator which we refer to as innovative-cooperation capacity. This methodology builds upon the biogas potential analysis by identifying farmers who are willing to improve their farms manure management system and cooperate in the field of biogas production in Gundinci. The replication of this methodology could stimulate rural development, through pinpointing realizable biogas projects, which could generate new money flows for the local economies and help farmers meet the norms of the European Union Nitrates Directive which regulates manure management, in order to control nitrogen flows in agriculture.
The purpose of this paper is to do research on regional conditions that are most conducive to maximising the positive effects of the implementation of "New industrial policy" (policy based on Smart ...specialisation strategy) to regional competitiveness in Croatia. Rather than using the standard butfragmented system of counties, this small post-transition economy is first mapped into five regions following the concept of regional innovation systems (RISs). Essentially, RIS concept rests on an idea that interactions among regional agents lead to the creation of optimal innovation output, while policy based on Smart specialisation strategy in Croatia is a national policy that promotes creation of innovative products and services in five promising domains and 13 sub-thematic areas. Analysis is carried out in two steps, firstly using a data-driven approach employed in a multidimensional framework for assessing regional accessibility, absorptive capacity and diffusion of knowledge in the context of Smart specialisation strategy (S3) implementation. In the second step, the assumption of post-transition reliance on the external knowledge and technology in producing innovation output is examined via regional presence of high-technology firms, GDP per capita and international trade and investment variables and patents per 100.000 inhabitants using cluster analysis (Ward method). The results show that highly internationalised regions with higher density of hightechnology firms already produce relatively more innovation output per capita. With already favourable conditions in place, these progressive regions are most likely to reinforce their competitive advantages through the transformation of their economic structures enabled by implementation of S3.
The objective of this paper is to explore the intraregional and interregional relationships between employment of creative individuals in creative industries and the economic growth of Croatian ...regions. Spatial panel analysis is applied to assess the interregional effects of regional growth as well as interregional and intraregional effects of cultural and creative industries on economic growth in 2006-2012. While there is empirical evidence of positive interregional economic growth effects, the contribution of the creative potential to the growth of Croatian regions is found to be negative. These findings can be explained by overall modest representation of creative industries, particularly in faster growing regions, and the growth impediments imposed on creative industries by Croatian producers that mostly compete in standardized price-competitive segments of the market.
Broj priznatih patentnih prijava u području ključnih razvojnih tehnologija smanjuje se u Hrvatskoj, za razliku od broja priznatih europskih patentnih prijava koji se povećao u razdoblju od 1997. do ...2018. Jačanjem važnosti europskih patenata prijava povećava se važnost upotrebe ključnih razvojnih tehnologija u odnosu na njihovo stvaranje. Pri analizi patenata koji se identificiraju kao ključne razvojne tehnologije, na NUTS 2 razini koristili su se pokazatelji apsolutne i relativne tehnološke specijalizacije. Ti su patenti koncentrirani na području Grada Zagreba. Ipak, povećala se relativna važnost Panonske i Sjeverne Hrvatske u području ključnih razvojnih tehnologija u razdoblju 2012. – 2018. u odnosu na razdoblje 1997. – 2001. Zbog smanjenja broja odobrenih patentnih prijava u ovom području, nemoguće je govoriti o tehnološkoj specijalizaciji. S obzirom na jačanje važnosti upotrebe ključnih razvojnih tehnologija, potrebno je poticati policy programe koji će se u većoj mjeri koristiti ovim tehnologijama kao podlogom razvoja inovativnih proizvoda.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the composition of services and firms in a wood industrial cluster based on members' interests and examine the differences among the groups. Since firms ...have very different interests when joining the cluster, this paper develops the taxonomy of cluster members based on their expectations regarding services and investigates the differences and similarities among groups in firms' characteristics, their resources, innovative activities, the performance of firms, and perceived cluster performance. The data collected from members of the Croatian wood cluster were explored using factor and cluster analyses. The results revealed three categories of services that the cluster should provide: 1) lobbying; 2) facilitation of networking and cooperation; and 3) supporting joint logistics and joint access to the market. Four groups of members were identified, named as 1) cooperation and lobbying-oriented; 2) market oriented; 3) purely lobbying-oriented; 4) purely networking and cooperation-oriented. Group 1 (44% of the sample) scores high on all categories of services. It contains more firms that innovate and more high-growth firms. Members in this group evaluate the effects of the cluster better than the other two groups. The study offers new evidence on the alignment of cluster services with the interests of cluster members, indicating different levels of performance among groups in a small cluster in traditional forest-based industries. The findings can help managers not only in the Croatian wood cluster but also in other similar small cluster organisations in Central Eastern and South-Eastern Europe to use their limited resources more efficiently and enhance the competitiveness and performance of the firms/sector.
Over the past two and a half decades, the economic landscape of Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) has considerably changed. The demise of traditional industries and the rise of the ...service sector during the 1990s inclined economic structure towards deindustrialisation. In years that followed, new industries emerged in many of these countries and brought them back on the route of reindustrialisation. Across countries, this process developed at an uneven pace. The recent rise of awareness about the importance of industrial development for the well-being of nations makes it relevant to investigate the sources behind changes in the economic structure of CEECs. Our findings reveal that reindustrialisation takes place at an uneven pace. No support was found for horizontal economy-wide industrial policies advocated within new classical economics. Strong impulse to reindustrialisation comes through improvements in export sophistication. Such findings are in line with those on the position of CEECs in global value chains.
Institutional reforms in the countries of Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe (CESEE) brought about a redefinition of the role of the state, the market and the business sector. We assess the ...effects of various dimensions of the institutional environment on the labour productivity of manufacturing firms in selected CESEE countries by employing a multilevel model. Our findings reveal that the curbing of corruption and the provision of inter-industrial externalities through the development of a commercial and professional infrastructure have beneficial effects on firm productivity. At the same time, a stricter political and legal framework and the provision of R&D infrastructure have an adverse effect. Such a finding is typical for producers of standardised products in countries with low levels of legal framework development for which R&D and legal adjustments incur cost disadvantages. The implication is that institutional development should be accompanied by a strengthening of firms’ absorptive capacity in order for businesses to benefit from such changes
In order to stimulate growth and competitiveness, many EU member states have implemented cluster-based development strategies. Several works underline the benefits of policy-driven clusters, but ...understanding how clusters can create value for their members is still an open issue. This work contributes to the literature by investigating 13 Competitiveness Clusters in Croatia, a special type of policy-driven clusters developed within the country's smart specialization strategy, using original data from a survey on 250 cluster members. Our results indicate the existence of very different attitudes towards the rationale for the initiative. In particular, while some members are more interested in lobbying activities, others see networking and innovation as the most important objectives of clusters. Findings also show that the evaluation of cluster management, governance and performance varies according to the desired objectives. Overall the Competitiveness Clusters initiative in Croatia did not meet members' expectations.
•We examine the role of clusters in wood processing and furniture manufacturing industries of two advancing EU countries.•Clusters have a positive impact on firm productivity, sales revenues, size, ...and export performance.•Cluster members have a higher probability of becoming high growth firms and they offer higher wages to their employees.•Findings support the existence of cluster policies.
The economic structure of many advancing economies is dominated by labour-, scale. and resource-intensive industries. Recent advances in the field of digital technologies threaten the foundations of these traditional sectors and motivate the search for policies that would help sustain jobs and secure the survival and growth of firms. The European Union places clusters high on the policy agenda as instruments for fostering industrial transformation, and increasing firm performance and competitiveness. This paper investigates the impact of clusters on firm performance in traditional wood-processing and furniture industries from two new Central European member states of the European Union during the post-crisis period of 2013–2016. The findings indicate that clusters have a positive impact on firm productivity, sales revenues, size, and export performance. Cluster members also have a higher probability of becoming high growth firms and they offer higher wages to their employees. These findings support the view that clusters are an important driver of firms’ growth and competitiveness and support the existence of cluster policies.
The goal of this paper was to research and apply the concept of Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) to Croatian regions and to identify particular strengths supporting innovation diffusion as a source ...of regional competitiveness. A system of indicators is envisaged, with the choice of RIS dimensions and indicators largely relying on Evangelista, Iammarino, Mastrostefano, and Silvani (2001). In total, 32 relevant regional indicators are grouped into three dimensions--Knowledge creation and dissemination, Firm innovation activity and Systems' performance. Regional heterogeneity is noted with respect to innovation capacities in the 2006-2010 period: North-West Croatia is leading in the diffusion of innovation, with overall RIS configuration most conducive to innovation activity; Central and East Croatia (CEC) has a distinct value chain in agriculture and low-technology industries and industries' needs for technological upgrading are resolved through external R&D (acquisition of licenses, patents and know-how), backed up by strong public financing; Adriatic Croatia is underperforming in innovation activity, given the advantages it has over CEC in important elements of systemic dimensions such as entrepreneurial and technological infrastructure and in scientific capacities. Policy implications are drawn from highlighted regional differences in innovation capacities and in sectoral structures. Keywords: regional innovation system (RIS), Croatian regions, innovation activity, innovation diffusion Cilj je ovoga rada istraziti koncepciju regionalnih inovacijskih sustava (RIS) i primijeniti je na hrvatske regije, pa potom prepoznati regionalne prednosti koje podrzavaju difuziju inovacija kao izvor regionalne konkurentnosti. S tom svrhom osmisljen je sustav pokazatelja, s time da se u izboru dimenzija i pokazatelja toga sustava uvelike slijedio rad autora Evangelista, Iammarino, Mastrostefano i Silvani (2001). Ukupno 32 regionalna indikatora svrstana su u tri dimenzije RIS-a, a to su: stvaranje i diseminacija znanja; inovacijska aktivnost poduzeca i ucinkovitost sustava. Medu regijama je zamijecena heterogenost u pogledu inovacijskih kapaciteta izmedu 2006. i 2010. godine. Sjeverozapadna Hrvatska vodeca je u difuziji inovacija s RIS-om koji ima najbolje preduvjete za razvoj inovacijskih aktivnosti. Sredisnja i istocna Hrvatska (SIH) ima specifican lanac vrijednosti u poljoprivredi i niskotehnoloskim industrijama te industrije u ovoj regiji svoje potrebe za tehnoloskim unapredenjem rjesavaju ulaganjem u I&R izvan poduzeca (stjecanjem licencija, patenata i know-howa), uz snaznu podrsku javnih izvora financiranja. Jadranska Hrvatska ostvaruje slabije rezultate u inovacijskim aktivnostima kada se razmotre prednosti koje ova regija ima u usporedbi sa SIH u vaznim elementima sistemskih dimenzija kao sto su poduzetnicka i tehnoloska infrastruktura te znanstveni kapaciteti. Na osnovi opazenih regionalnih razlika u inovacijskim kapacitetima dane su preporuke za relevantne politike, postujuci pritom i sektorske razlike medu regijama. Kljucne rijeci: regionalni inovacijski sustavi (RIS), hrvatske regije, inovacijske aktivnosti, difuzija inovacija
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