Service Ecosystems and Social Innovation in the Inner Areas for a Regenerative Economy

The doctoral thesis “Service Ecosystems and Social Innovation in the Inner Areas for a Regenerative Economy” investigates how institutional dynamics and social innovation interact in shaping service ecosystems within peripheral and rural territories. Anchored in the New Institutional Economics (NIE) framework, it explores how formal and informal institutions jointly influence the capacity of inner areas to achieve economic, social, and environmental regeneration. Through the concept of service ecosystems—adaptive configurations of actors, technologies, and institutions—the research examines social innovation as a collective capability for addressing local challenges and fostering a regenerative economy. Empirically, the study focuses on rural Italy, analysing data from the 2024 RIOM survey across 40 municipalities in Basilicata, Campania, and Molise. Using mixed methods (non-parametric and multivariate analysis), it identifies how perceptions of institutional adequacy, trust, and community cohesion shape innovation readiness and well-being. Results highlight the complementary role of formal and informal institutions: strong social trust and cohesion enhance resilience but require infrastructural and digital reinforcement to sustain innovation. The thesis contributes to institutional and service-ecosystem theories by introducing the concept of institutional synchronisation—the alignment of formal structures and informal networks—as a precondition for regenerative territorial development. It offers actionable insights for place-based policies such as the Italian National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI), advocating integrated interventions that strengthen institutional complementarities rather than addressing isolated deficits.