The role of institutions in the knowledge transfer in the old industrial regions

The paper is focused on the role of the institutions in the regional knowledge dynamics from the theoretical perspective. The paper aimed to analyse the role of the institutions in the old industrial regions (OIR) with the focus on old industrial regions in the Central and Eastern Europe. The institutional capability could influence significantly the knowledge dynamics in the region. There exist some successful regions in the Europe with high developed institutional capability. On the other side there exist any forms of institutional lock in, which could limit the regional economic development especially in the less developed regions. The conclusion of the paper contains the main findings, how the institutions influence the knowledge flows in the old industrial regions. Particularly political lock ins, cognitive lock ins and functional lock ins hinder the necessary restructuring processes in old industrial regions. In the OIR from Central and Eastern Europe is presented less developed institutional thickness on the quantitative and qualitative level, too.