Structures and Prospects in Nordic Regional Economics
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Sustainable regional development in the Nordic countries Keith Clement and Malin Hansen Nordregio 2001 First published in 2001 by Nordregio. PO Box 1658, SE-111 86 Stockholm, Sweden Tel. +46 8 463 54 00, fax: +46 8 463 54 01 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.nordregio.se Keith Clement and Malin Hansen. Sustainable regional development in the Nordic countries Stockholm: Nordregio 2001 (Nordregio Report 2001:8) ISSN 1403-2503 ISBN 91-89332-20-2 Nordic co-operation takes place among the countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, as well as the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. The Nordic Council is a forum for co-operation between the Nordic parliaments and governments. The Council consists of 87 parliamentarians from the Nordic countries. The Nordic Council takes policy initiatives and monitors Nordic co-operation. Founded in 1952. The Nordic Council of Ministers is a forum for co-operation between the Nordic governments. The Nordic Council of Ministers implements Nordic co-operation. The prime ministers have the overall responsibility. Its activities are co-ordinated by the Nordic ministers for co-operation, the Nordic Committee for co-operation and portfolio ministers. Founded in 1971. Stockholm, Sweden 2001 Foreword Several years ago, considerable attention was given to the need for regional policy to incorporate the added dimension of environmental protection. The outcome of this phase included a series of handbooks and experimental methodologies designed to facilitate a new form of integration, and this has been applied especially in the context of EU Structural Funds programmes. Currently, the challenges facing regional policy-makers continue to expand as environmental factors are subsumed within a more holistic approach striving to achieve sustainable development. Shifting the focus from national and local administrations to develop the potential inherent in the regional level has become both a research specialism and a methodological problem to resolve in practical terms. This report presents an overview of activities in the Nordic countries that contribute in various ways towards the emerging field of “sustainable regional development”. As a first stage in this exploration, the approach adopted is necessarily broad, yet it identifies a number of promising examples in the different national contexts. A cross-national, comparative analysis examines the principal activities and impacts of selected projects seeking to address sustainable development as a regional concern. This overview has been commissioned by the Senior Officials Committee for Regional Policy within the Nordic Council of Ministers. The report is written by Senior Research Associate Keith Clement and Research Assistant Malin Hansen, with Clement as project manager. The content of the report is based considerably on information derived through interviews and analysis of materials provided by a range of individuals. Nordregio would like to express its appreciation of all those who participated in the interviews and who made documentation available, and this includes academics, researchers, central government staff, regional and local administrators and project managers. It is to be hoped that their innovative efforts are adequately reflected in this publication. Stockholm, August, 2001 3 Contents FOREWORD 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 7 1.1 Research Context............................................................................ 7 1.2 Aim and Objectives........................................................................ 8 1.3 Methodology .................................................................................. 8 1.4 Report Structure ............................................................................. 9 2. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT................................................ 10 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 10 2.2 A Global Issue.............................................................................. 10 2.3 The European Momentum............................................................ 15 2.4 The Nordic Dimension ................................................................. 19 3. SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT......................... 22 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 22 3.2 Cross-National Research Activity ................................................ 23 3.3 The European Network for Sustainable Urban and Regional Development Research................................................................. 33 3.4 The EU Structural Funds.............................................................. 35 3.5 Current Status .............................................................................. 38 4. DENMARK........................................................................................ 39 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 39 4.2 National-level Initiatives .............................................................. 39 4.3 Regional-level Research and Practice .......................................... 44 5. FINLAND........................................................................................... 52 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 52 5.2 National-level Initiatives .............................................................. 52 5.3 Regional-level Research and Practice .......................................... 56 6. NORWAY .......................................................................................... 65 6.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 65 6.2 National-level Initiatives .............................................................. 66 5 6.3 Regional-level Research and Practice .......................................... 70 7. SWEDEN............................................................................................ 77 7.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 77 7.2 National-level Initiatives .............................................................. 78 7.3 Regional-level Research and Practice .......................................... 83 8. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ......................................................... 93 8.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 93 8.2 Objectives..................................................................................... 94 8.3 Activities .................................................................................... 101 8.4 Impacts ....................................................................................... 103 8.5 Contributions to SRD ................................................................. 106 9. CONCLUSIONS.............................................................................. 109 9.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 109 9.2 Key Points .................................................................................. 109 9.3 Issues of Research Significance ................................................. 112 APPENDIX 1: The Graz Charter on Sustainable Regional Development .................................................................................... 115 APPENDIX 2: The ENSURE Advisory Board and National Focal Points ...................................................................................... 118 APPENDIX 3: List of Interviews Conducted....................................... 120 APPENDIX 4: Questionnaire from project interviews......................... 121 APPENDIX 5: Learning from Nordic Experience – the next phase .... 123 REFERENCES .................................................................................... 125 LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................. 130 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS............................................ 131 6 1. Introduction 1.1 Research Context With each year, the usage of the term “sustainable development” becomes more widespread. This gradual advancement is impressive in terms of its breadth, comprehensiveness and, above all, its international dimension. Although the moves towards sustainable development in each country vary in character and timeframe, and applications in different contexts are becoming increasingly specialised, there is evidence that these activities are converging at a broad scale and in accordance with European and UN initiatives. The field of regional development comprises a vital area for the application of sustainable development (SD) principles, not least because of the scope for conflicts between interpretations of development. As an activity that has clear economic, social and environmental dimensions, regional policy holds considerable potential to make a positive contribution to the practical realisation of sustainable development. In the Nordic countries, whose reputation for high environmental protection extends across the world, there is an emerging perception of sustainable development as a significant future challenge for regional policy. Whereas this view may have heightened awareness of the role of environment and the need for greater