MISCELLANEA GEOGRAPHICA – RegIONal StuDIeS ON DeVelOpmeNt Vol. 21 • No. 3 • 2017 • pp. 89-95 • ISSN: 2084-6118 • DOI: 10.1515/mgrsd-2017-0020 Traditional sectors based on natural resources – a blessing or a curse for less developed regions? A case study of Podlaskie Voivodeship Abstract The natural environment, as a source of natural resources, has long been Anna Dąbrowska perceived as being a factor in determining the development of many states and regions, especially less developed areas. The main research question in this article is what role is played by natural resources and traditional industry sectors based on natural resources (milk production Department of Local Development and Policy, and tourism), in the process of establishing a competitive advantage for Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, Podlaskie Voivodeship, which is one of the less developed regions in University of Warsaw, Poland e-mail: [email protected] Poland. The results of the research reveal weaknesses that are inherent in earlier ways of thinking about these industries and, at the same time, emphasise the importance of making use of natural resources in an integrated way and combining them with new technologies. Keywords Natural resources • smart specialisation • less developed regions • milk production • tourism Received: 25 April 2017 © University of Warsaw – Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies Accepted: 2 August 2017 Introduction This article’s main research question is what role is played will be made to answer the following question: Whether smart by natural resources and those traditional industry sectors based specializations based on natural resources and traditional industry on natural resources, in the process of establishing a competitive sectors can provide a sufficiently strong impulse (Pendall, Foster advantage for less developed regions using the example of & Cowell 2010) for diverting peripheral regions from their current Podlaskie Voivodeship in Poland.1 This question is of special development paths (Martin 2011; Sydow, Schreyoegg & Koch 2009). An importance due to the fact that, nowadays, development policies attempt to verify the relevance of these factors will be made using are strongly influenced, on the one hand, by the concept of the the example of Podlaskie Voivodeship, one of the least developed knowledge-based economy (Powell & Snellman 2004) and smart and least populated regions in Poland. Two sectors, which are specialisations (Foray 2009, 2015), and on the other by sustainable strongly associated with the natural environment, food processing development (UN 1987) and the green economy (UNEP 2011; UNEP (in particular milk production) and tourism, will be subjected to a 2012; OECD 2011). While the literature on smart specialization and more detailed analysis. The research findings are mostly based the associated opportunities for innovative regions has emerged on qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews with the gradually over the last few years, much less attention has been paid regions’ main actors and the analysis of strategic documents at to the issue of peripheral regions. The implementation of the smart the voivodeship level (regional development strategies and RIS specialization concept in developed regions is clearly perceived – regional innovation strategies), supported by statistical data as an opportunity to strengthen their competitive advantages; analysis. The results of the research reveal weaknesses that are however, in the case of less developed regions (with a lower inherent in the previous way of thinking about these industries, level of economic development, a lower innovation potential, poor and, at the same time, emphasise the importance of making use experience in science–business cooperation, and who are strongly of natural resources in an integrated way and combining them rooted in natural resources) the role of smart specialization is with new technologies. Although the empirical study concentrates definitely more questionable. Therefore, in particular, an attempt on Poland and one Polish region in particular, it may have a wider significance for other less developed and more sparsely populated 1Voivodeship is a unit of territorial self-government in Poland that corresponds to a regions in Poland, as well as similar regions in other countries of “province” or “region” in many other countries. Poland’s basic territorial divisions include the European Union. 16 voivodeships at the regional level (corresponding to the EU NUTS II level), 380 districts at the sub-regional level (corresponding to LAU 1 level) and 2,478 communes This article is structured as follows. First, an overview of the at the local level (LAU 2). Polish territorial administration at the level of the voivodeship theoretical background is given, which explains the role of natural is dualistic, in the sense of the co-existence of organs of the voivodeship self- resources as a development factor, especially in the case of government and organs of the territorial governmental administration (administration less developed regions. This section is supplemented by a brief controlled by the central government). In this article the term “voivodeship” will be used interchangeably with the term “region”. analysis of the role of natural resources for Polish voivodeships 89 MISCELLANEA GEOGRAPHICA – RegIONal StuDIeS ON DeVelOpmeNt Vol. 21 • No. 3 • 2017 • pp. 89-95 • ISSN: 2084-6118 • DOI: 10.1515/mgrsd-2017-0020 according to their regional strategic documents. Second, the in particular natural and environmental resources (e.g. food characteristics of the study area (Podlaskie Voivodeship) and the processing, wood processing, and the furniture industry, as well methods used to answer the research question are described. as tourism) (Kudełko 2013). Abandoning the narrow understanding Finally, the empirical section contains a brief description of of innovation and opting for the inclusive definition of smart two important sectors – food processing and tourism – and specialisation meant giving “every sector a chance to be present in a discussion concerning their roles in building a competitive the strategy through a good project” (Foray & Goenega 2013, pp. 7–8), advantage for the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Final remarks and which could also be applied to sectors that are not traditionally conclusions follow at the end of the paper. considered to be innovative. These economic sectors are often of lower efficiency and productivity and it is therefore doubtful Theoretical background they would lead to a decrease in the distance that separates the Natural resources as a development factor less developed regions from the growth leaders (Nazarko 2014). As In classical economics, the land, along with its resources was indicated by the results of recent research, the implementation of understood to be one of the factors of production; the other two RIS3 in areas that struggle with multiple challenges (e.g. resulting being labour and capital (Smith 2003). The natural environment, as from low population density or the agricultural nature of the region) a source of natural resources, is still perceived to be a factor in “tends to give back a more prominent place to natural resources determining the development of states and regions (especially of in regional development strategies (…) and enabled regions to less developed areas) (Martin 2011), and also as an autotelic value find ‘smarter’ avenues for ensuring the continued development necessary for the survival of societies, and the human species of the primary sector, as well as inducing crossovers with other itself (Domański 2002, pp. 26–27). sectors” (Dubois et. al 2016, p. 10). However, the results of empirical research from the 1990s The concept of smart specialisations explicitly emphasises clearly indicated that there exists a phenomenon known as the the need for rejuvenating traditional sectors through higher value- “natural resource curse” (Auty 1993). The term was meant to added activities and new market niches. Nanotechnology is, for signify that not only does the abundance of natural resources not example, used in the food sector in Portugal to improve quality constitute the key competitive advantage for all regions, but that control in the production of cheese, wine and olive oil, and in it can also result in the inhibition of development (Sachs & Warner the pulp and paper industry in Finland to improve operational 1997; Gelb & Associates 1988; Gylfason et al. 1999). efficiency. Biological applications of nanotechnology can also A new way of looking at the role of natural resources and be found in Galicia’s marine resources sector, while its ICT natural factors was created with the dissemination of such applications are common in the tourism sector where they are concepts as sustainable development, and the green economy used to improve the quality of services and reduce queues for but also territorial capital and smart specialization. The green attractions (Arancegui et al. 2011, p. 4; David, Foray & Hall 2009; Foray & economy narrative has placed the regions that have a high Goenaga 2013, p. 4). endowment in natural resources in a new position regarding Smart specializations can also be seen as an opportunity opportunities for investment and growth (Teräs et al. 2015, p. 3). for less developed Polish regions. The analysis of the regional With the concept of territorial capital (OECD 2001; Camagni 2008) strategies of Polish voivodeships has demonstrated that came a strong