Towards a new approach of local development under crisis conditions: Empowering the local business ecosystems in Greece, by adopting a new local development policy

The competitiveness of the Greek economy evolves, both in the present crisis and later on, according to the dynamic micro-level environment and its transformations. This evolution depends on the SME’s abilities to claim a significant role in the new, competitive global environment, which is characterized by a continuous reshaping process. Respectively, the goal of achieving development in the local scale is of vital importance. This paper attempts to approach and highlight a new framework, by proposing a new business ecosystems approach and policy, focusing on the implementation of a method for strengthening the SME’s physiology. This method proposes the construction of systematic knowledge and innovation mechanisms, on a local scale; the Local Development and Innovation Institutes (LDI’s). Subsequently, we analyze the regional data in Greece in order to highlight the most affected by the crisis region and to experimentally establish the Local Development Institutes.