Chapter 2. Nordic Collaborative Regional Leadership Survey Results

The Nordic Collaborative Regional Leadership Survey was drawn up in spring 2023. The 16 questions are designed to gauge survey respondents’ views on the nature and characteristics of collaboration across different Nordic regions. They address the key dimensions of regional leadership outlined in the previous chapter. The survey consisted of questions relating to the overall level of collaboration in a region, an assessment of which policy themes account for the closest collaboration, the frequency of collaboration between different actors, which actors are most involved in facilitating collaboration, different types of collaboration tools, and the main challenges, obstacles, and enablers of collaboration. The survey was sent out through Nordregio’s Nordic contact base and social media channels (e.g. LinkedIn), consisting of a range of regional and local actors and stakeholders, including regional and municipal authority actors and representatives from industries, business, universities, NGOs and civil society organisations. This section of the report outlines the main results of the survey. 

Overall, there were only 63 responses to the survey. A low survey response rate is not uncommon in research studies but has negative consequences for drawing conclusions because of the unrepresentative sample size. This section of the report, therefore, presents the results but recognises the limitations of drawing generalisable trends across the Nordic Region from the data.

Figure 1. Nordic country.

Of the 63 respondents, 38% were Finnish, 33% Swedish, 11% Norwegian, 6% Icelandic, 4% Danish, with 3% from both Åland and Greenland; there were no responses from the Faroe Islands.

Figure 2. Type of region.

Respondents were permitted multiple response options to the question, “in what type of region are you based?” 46% of respondents came from urban regions and 44% from rural regions, while some respondents chose multiple options, denoting that they are based in urban and rural regions within coastal (31%), cross-border (22%), and mountainous (8%) areas.

Figure 3. Type of organisation.

49% of respondents worked in regional authorities, 15% in national authorities, 6% municipal authorities, and 6% in cross-border committees. The remainder represented SMEs (9%), universities (6%), NGOs (1%), societal groups (1%) and unspecified others (1%).

Figure 4. Overall levels of collaboration between stakeholders in your region.

The majority of respondents (65%) noted that levels of interaction between public and private stakeholders, including public authorities, industries, businesses, NGOs and civil society groups is very high (15%) or high (50%). These results suggest that there are overall very high levels of collaboration between regional stakeholders across the Nordic regions. Only a combined 8% of respondents indicated that collaboration is either low or very low in their regions. These results indicate that regional-level collaboration is a common phenomenon across the Nordic Region as a whole.

Figure 5. Overall levels of stakeholder collaboration in different policy thematic areas.  

Respondents were given the opportunity to rank levels of collaboration on various policy themes from very high to very low. Overall, levels are high across the range of policy thematic areas outlined in the survey. By combining the response fields ‘very high’ and ‘high’, the results indicate that the highest levels of collaboration are in research and innovation (65%), green transition (57%), education and training (57%), culture and heritage (50%) and transport mobility (50%). Levels are slightly lower in climate (42%), social inclusion (42%), and healthcare (41%). Digitalisation (32%) and social care (28%) ranked lowest. High levels of collaboration in research and innovation is not unsurprising given the large number of higher education institutes, large industries and businesses across Nordic regions. Nordic countries also rank highly on the EU innovation scorecard, and a large amount of EU regional funding is dedicated to building innovation ecosystems. These results suggest that collaboration might also tend to focus on the globally significant policy issues such a climate change and just transitions, or policy thematic areas where regions have high levels of responsibility, such as transport and mobility, education and training, and culture and heritage. Lower levels of collaboration on policy themes like health and social care might be the result of a lack of a regional mandate or policy or funding gaps. Respondents also highlighted tourism, marine spatial planning, and crisis preparedness as policy themes on which collaboration is ongoing in Nordic regions.

Figure 6. Levels of collaboration with different stakeholders. 

When it comes to assessing which regional actors survey respondents collaborate with the most, the results indicate that levels of collaboration were highest between public authorities (i.e. national regional and municipal level authorities) and within public authorities (i.e. interdepartmental interaction). Combining the responses ‘very often’ and ‘often’ reveals that collaboration is most regular with national-level actors (74%), other departments within your own authority (73%), other regional authorities (68%), other municipal authorities (62%) and business sector organisations (e.g. chambers of commerce: 51%). The high levels of collaboration across public authorities at different levels of governance contrast with many written responses in the survey that indicate a lack of policy coherence and fragmentation between different governance levels. Combining the responses ‘very little’ and ‘not at all’ shows that respondents interact the least with societal groups (46%), large industries and businesses (40%), SMEs (38%), EU-level actors (36%), and NGOs (30%). These findings indicate room for improvement when it comes to engaging large businesses, SMEs, NGOs, and societal groups in collaborative activities.

Figure 7. Actors facilitating stakeholder collaboration.

By combining the responses ‘very important’ and ‘important’, survey results reveal that regional authorities (85%) are considered the most important facilitators of collaboration at regional level, followed by universities (69%), municipal authorities (68%), and business sector organisations (64%). Combining the response fields ‘moderate importance’, ‘low importance’ and ‘very low importance’ indicates that NGOs (56%) and civil society groups (55%) are considered less important in facilitating regional collaborations, with SMEs (60%) and large industries/businesses (58%) identified as the least important collaboration facilitators at regional level. These results highlight the crucial role of regional authorities in bringing stakeholders together and building multi-sectoral partnerships. However, a greater role for public and private sector stakeholders might create a more dynamic and innovative collaboration environment, particularly in policy areas that require the expertise of industries, businesses, SMES, NGOs and societal groups.

Figure 8. Forums and tools for collaboration.

96% of respondents noted that physical face-to-face meetings were very important or important for cultivating stakeholder collaboration. 93% of responses indicated that existing regional-level networks and clusters are also very important or important platforms for bringing stakeholders together, with digital meetings (90%) creating important new channels for enhancing interaction. 85% of respondents viewed regional and municipal level projects as key collaboration resources, with EU-level projects (70%) and national-level projects (65%) still important resources for fostering collaborations but slightly less significant than regional/municipal level projects.

Figure 9. Obstacles for collaboration.

Survey respondents strongly agreed or agreed that a lack of time (80%), capacities (75%), and funding (60%) were the most significant obstacles to building regional collaborations. Closely interconnected to these factors is weak organisational leadership (50%), such as a lack of time, capacities, and resources, which reduces the ability of stakeholders to facilitate collaborative activities, particularly in public authorities. A lack of financial support undermines the long-term continuity of stakeholder collaboration, while weak leadership affects the alignment and effectiveness of joint efforts. Respondents also strongly agreed or agreed that a lack of shared understanding of common challenges (50%) and competing stakeholder interests (45%) created barriers to collaboration. A lack of shared understanding and competing stakeholder interests creates fragmentation, which underscores the need for a more structured and unified approach to regional collaboration. In contrast, respondents strongly disagreed or disagreed that a lack of networks/clusters (48%), weak collaboration culture (41%), and EU-level policy priorities (40%) present challenges to collaboration. This indicates that collaborative culture and networks are strong in Nordic regions, while EU-level policies and funding provide an important framework around which to build cooperation.

Figure 10. Factors enabling collaboration.

Combining the responses ‘strongly agree’ and ‘agree’ reveals that survey respondents regard existing networks/clusters (81%) and regional and municipal level policies (80%) as the most important factors enhancing regional collaboration. This suggests that existing networks and regional-level and municipal-level policy strategies and plans provide an important framework around which to build collaborations. An existing culture of collaboration (73%) is also considered an important factor for encouraging cooperation, as is individual leadership (74%), organisational leadership (67%), and a shared understanding of common challenges (68%). Both organisational and individual leadership are considered essential collaboration enablers, suggesting that management and leadership training programmes could help develop and fortify organisational collaborative leadership capacities. A shared understanding of common challenges and a shared vision also facilitate cooperation, highlighting the need for platforms, programmes, and projects that encourage multi-actor dialogue and transcend narrow public and private sector interests.

Figure 11. Benefits of collaboration.

81% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that collaboration drives regional and municipal level policy change, whereas around 80% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that cooperation promotes regional growth and enhances knowledge sharing and learning between stakeholders. Collaborative activities provide an opportunity for more networking (75%), finding solutions to shared problems (75%), and building trust and social capital between actors (73%). Participation in collaborative initiatives can also increase access to funding (63%). These results suggest that there are many positive benefits to emerge from stakeholder collaborations at the regional level. Respondents thought collaborations had less impact on influencing the direction policies take at the national level (53%) and EU-level (26%). These latter results support recent research showing that the sub-national level has a limited role and influence in multi-level governance policymaking processes dominated by national-level and EU-level actors (Moodie et al. 2022).

Figure 12. Funds facilitating collaboration.

91% of respondents highlight regional and municipal level funds as very important or important to facilitate collaboration. National-level (88%) and EU-level (67%) funding are also considered very important or important financial resources. In contrast, only 40% of respondents found private funding and 38% community funding very important or important revenue streams for stimulating collaborative activities. These latter results indicate a need for more public-sector and private financial resources to fund collaborative activities.

Figure 13. Collaboration at stages of the policymaking process.

Stakeholder collaboration is considered important at all stages of the policy process. The results highlight that collaboration is considered most important during the policy formulation (91%) and implementation (87%) phases. This indicates that respondents place a high value on early-stage engagement in policymaking to help set the policy agenda, as well as playing an important role in the practical implementation of policies and projects. Collaboration is also viewed as important at the decision-making (75%) and evaluation (67%) stages but marginally less important than during the other phases. Collaboration at the evaluation stage is considered less important, perhaps highlighting a gap in assessing the benefits and impacts of collaboration and a need for continuous improvement and evaluation mechanisms to extend the long-term sustainability of collaboration.

Figure 14. Short-term and long-term collaborations.

The survey results show that 60% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that collaborations tend mainly to be short-term; similarly, 60% strongly agreed or agreed that they tend to be long-term. These results are relatively even, showing that at regional level in the Nordics there is a semblance of balance between temporary, ad hoc collaborations and long-term ones built around more permanent structures. These findings indicate that different regional challenges and opportunities require different types of collaborative responses. They also contrast with several written comments in response to the survey advocating for a more structured approach to regional collaboration and the need to transform ad hoc collaborations into long-term networks to ensure collaborative continuity and maximise stakeholder impact. Establishing long-term collaborative forums and networks could help strengthen regional collaboration and provide a platform for continuous stakeholder dialogue. 

The results of the Collaborative Regional Leadership Survey provide an overview of the nature and characteristics of regional collaboration across the Nordic regions. The survey highlights that collaboration between public and private actors is commonplace. Regional and municipal authorities play a central role in supporting and facilitating collaborations, and cooperation is enabled by strong regional collaborative cultures, existing networks, and shared regional visions. However, obstacles to collaboration remain, including fragmented policy agendas, limited funding, and weak organisational leadership. The low response rate for the survey makes it very difficult to draw generalisable conclusions due to the limited representativeness of the sample. The limited sample size also makes a more fine-grained analysis of the survey findings of limited value. As a consequence, the following case-study analysis examines the inner workings of four examples of Nordic collaborative regional leadership in greater depth, enhancing our knowledge and understanding of the main factors that drive, challenge, and enable effective collaborative processes.