Bottom-up Innovation in a Top-down Framework: RIS3 and Social Governance in Rural Territories

This article examines the tensions between the Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) as a public policy for territorial innovation and the emerging practices of social innovation in rural contexts. Through a case study of the municipality of Valverde de Burguillos (Spain), the study compares institutional top-down logic of RIS3 with the forms of relational governance and social capital that sustain community-based initiatives. Research suggests the need to reterritorialize RIS3 through frameworks more sensitive to local needs and know-how.