The role of municipalities in the bottom-up formation of a meta-region in Sweden:

Drivers and barriers

Authors

  • Jörgen Johansson Halmstad University
  • Lars Niklasson Linköping University
  • Bo Persson Linköping University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v19i4.14995

Keywords:

Regional reform, Bottom-up strategy, Regional governance, Local government, Municipal cooperation

Abstract

The sub-national level in the Nordic countries is currently undergoing a process of major transformation. A central issue concerns the role of municipalities in regionalization processes. The purpose of the article is to analyse the positions and strategies of municipalities regarding interlocal cooperation and regional governance, in relation to a failed attempt to create a new large region in southern Sweden during 2013-2014. This attempt was based on a reform strategy, initiated by the government, which gave the main role in the creation of larger regions to municipalities and regional actors in a bottom-up process. How can we understand the roles of municipalities, and what are the drivers and barriers in a bottom-up strategy of regional formation? Our study shows that the views expressed by municipal representatives in Sweden regarding regional governance are anchored in the strong institutional position of municipalities in that country. Our conclusion is that a bottom-up strategy has several shortcomings as a method for making institutional reforms in a system of regional governance. There are obvious drivers in such a process, but there are also difficulties in achieving cooperation that result from high transaction costs (which lead to a collective-action dilemma), from an uncertain national policy, and from problems of legitimacy.

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Author Biographies

Jörgen Johansson, Halmstad University

Jörgen Johansson is an associate professor in political science at Halmstad university and guest researcher at Karlstad university. His research interests lie mainly in two fields. The first concerns research on the implementation of regional policy. The focus here is on issues relating to democratic legitimacy, politicization, and the role of municipalities in regional-development strategies. Johansson's second main field of research is evaluation research; he has participated in several evaluation projects managed by governmental committees as well as by regional authorities.

Lars Niklasson, Linköping University

Lars Niklasson is a Deputy Professor of Political Science and Department Chair at Linköping University, Sweden. He has also taught at Uppsala University in Sweden and at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, USA. Before joining Linköping University he was a consultant for Ramböll Management Consulting and the Technopolis Group, specializing in regional development policy and innovation policy. His current research interest is in comparative political economy, with a focus on the European Union and the World Trade Organization.

Bo Persson, Linköping University

Bo Persson is Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Linköping University. He took his PhD at the Department of Technology and Social Change at Linköping University, and held a post-doc position at the Research Policy Institute/CIRCLE at Lund University from 2006-2009. His research focuses on the formulation and implementation of research and innovation policy in Sweden, on regional and local development policy, and on the role of institutions in policy-making. He is engaged in ongoing research on the relationship between municipalities and regions, and on the research policy strategies pursued by municipalities in Sweden.

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Published

2015-12-15

How to Cite

Johansson, J., Niklasson, L., & Persson, B. (2015). The role of municipalities in the bottom-up formation of a meta-region in Sweden:: Drivers and barriers. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 19(4), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v19i4.14995

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