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ABSTRACT
This paper reports on the impact of smart specialization policies in an economically already well-developed and politically experienced environment. Arguably, German regions were quite experienced with strategic innovation policy long before the ex-ante conditionality was imposed and their first reaction to it was accordingly reserved. Nonetheless, our case studies illustrate that the process related to the development of regional innovation strategies has in many German regions led to advances in methodology as well as improved communication and coordination in polities where information failures constitute a relevant challenge. Accordingly, a number of key challenges remain, in part related to many German regions’ understanding of their own mandate within the country's multi-level governance system.