The aim of this dissertation is to study the role of regional innovation systems (RIS) in influencing regional economic and social outcomes within European urban regions. The concept RIS explains the interplay between firms, institutions, and policy efforts at the regional level that influences the capacity for innovation and long-term economic transformation. This paper explores how the ability of regions to adapt to structural change—i.e., the emergence of new industries—is related to social welfare, particularly in conditions of economic resilience.

The research focuses on the relationship between long-run industrial change and subjective well-being across European regions for the period 1975–2024. By utilizing regional panel data and survey micro-data, the research will examine how sectoral structural change impacts different social groups by their occupation, age, gender, education, and marital status. The dissertation contributes to the literature in that it links regional economic flexibility to inclusive development and social equality in a quest to identify the winners and losers of structural economic change in a comparative European context.