In this new long-lasting period of crisis, public investments in general, and particularly those in support of innovation and economic
development at regional level, are depressed by stability policies.
The shortage of resources for any type of expansive policy poses regional decision makers straight questions to be answered: which has the primacy among the objectives of cohesion and growth? How to achieve more with less resource? New smarter forms of policymaking to support innovation and economic development are then needed.