engleski

Croatia on the Path Towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Potentials, Obstacles, Perspectives

Many authors hold that current societies have been undergoing an epochal shift driven by the rapid development of the most advanced technology. The central aim of the paper is to present key findings of the research project “Artificial intelligence and robotization as a developmental resource – potential, controversies and perspectives” in collaboration with the scientific project “SECRURAL” (UIP-2019-04-5257), on the perspectives of Croatian society to pass through the Fourth Industrial Revolution or to switch to Industry 4.0. The research consisted of semi- structured interviews conducted in early 2020 with 14 stakeholders, experts, officials from companies, state administration and scientific organizations who are connected to the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics and generally might be considered as a part of Industry 4.0. Conducted thematic analysis of collected data indicated that, according to the views of our respondents, some elements of Industry 4.0 already exist in Croatia and there is potential for its firmer development. It is most likely that its further emergence will appear as the smart specialization on particular niches and types of products, and as primarily a regional phenomenon in some traditionally industrialized regions (mostly smaller (semi-)urbanized centres with rural surroundings) in the north-west of the country, which in movements towards Industry 4.0 may found their chance for post-socialist reindustrialization. On the other hand, the respondents pointed out some barriers on the path to the Fourth Industrial Revolution transformation such as: bureaucratization, fear of technological development, lack of entrepreneurial initiative, lack of productive communication among key actors, the gap between scientific and economic sector, and deficit of properly skilled workforce. Due to its heritage of socialist type of industrialization and its position on the European (semi-)periphery the case of Croatia concerning its socioeconomic and technological transformation might be instructive for other Balkan societies, as well.

Croatian society ; European (semi-) periphery ; the Fourth Industrial Revolution ; post-socialist development ; technological transformation ; regional differences (urban/rural)

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