Photo: Per Pixel Petersson / imagebank.sweden.se

Introduction

This report showcases key research findings from the Nordic Collaborative Regional Leadership Project. The project examined how regional institutions (e.g. regional and municipal authorities) and other public and private stakeholders (e.g. industries, businesses, universities, NGOs and societal groups) collaborate to drive policy change, overcome socio-economic challenges, and maximise opportunities at the regional level. The study of collaborative regional leadership is crucial as many current regional socio-economic problems require a collaborative multi-actor response. This requires an enhanced understanding of effective regional collaborative leadership processes and their role in developing targeted place-based solutions that address regional challenges and maximise local opportunities.

Across the Nordic Region, the ability of regional-level institutions and actors to deliver effective public policies and services is constrained due to a lack of capacity and resources (Slätmo & Bogason 2024; Slätmo et al. 2023). Within this context, it is imperative that regional public and private stakeholders work together, sharing knowledge, expertise and resources to help promote regional development, innovation and growth (Giacometti et al. 2024); deliver public services (Cedergren et al. 2021); overcome the socio-economic challenges of the pandemic (Bourdin et al. 2024); build regional resilience (Giacometti & Teräs 2019; Enestam 2021); and implement sustainable green, social and smart transitions (Norlén et al. 2022). Effective collaborative regional leadership is essential for Nordic regions to thrive and prosper. Further research is needed to shed more light on the different factors that drive, challenge, and enable collaboration between different actors across the Nordic regions.

In recent years, the concept of regional leadership has grown in salience as effective regional leadership is considered a key variable for explaining why some regions grow and others lag behind (Rodriquez-Pose 2013). The concept explores how regional resources, competences and powers are mobilised to reach collective goals through collaborative group processes, behaviour and tools (Sotarauta and Beer 2021). Regional leadership emphasises that regional development and growth are dependent not on individuals but collective action: ‘leadership for regional economic development will not be based on traditional hierarchical relationships; rather it will be a collaborative relationship between institutional actors encompassing the public, private and community sectors – and it will be based on mutual trust and co-operation.’ (Stimson, Stough, & Roberts 2002: p. 279). The wide-ranging literature on regional leadership provides a conceptual lens through which to examine the nature and type of collaboration in different regions on a global scale, including in the Nordic countries.

Research Focus

The research examined the concept of regional leadership in a Nordic context. Throughout the research the term ‘collaborative regional leadership’ was used to emphasise that the focus of the study was not on individuals but on examining how different regional actors work together to develop and implement regional strategies, policies and projects. Recent studies have shown that the Nordics are a breeding ground for collaborative governance and consensus-based policy and decision-making at both a regional and organisational level (Lundgren et al. 2022; Cedergren et al. 2021; Andreasson & Lundqvist 2018). The project builds on this research by analysing the key ingredients that contribute to fostering effective collaborative regional leadership processes. The project focused on the following core research questions:

What factors drive regional collaboration?
What are the main challenges facing regional collaboration?
What are the key enablers of regional collaboration?
What examples are there of good practice in regional collaboration?
Is there a model of collaborative regional leadership?

Research Methods and Data

In answering these core questions, a quantitative and qualitative research approach was applied. Firstly, a quantitative collaborative regional leadership survey was sent out to regional institutional actors and stakeholders across the Nordic Region. The survey allowed us to gauge stakeholder perceptions on the nature and key characteristics of collaboration across different Nordic regions. Secondly, a qualitative case study methodology was applied to allow for an in-depth descriptive and exploratory analysis of complex phenomena in their own contexts (Stake 1995; Yin 2003). Baxter and Jack (2008) note that case studies are a useful methodology for developing theory, evaluating programmes, and developing interventions. They also say that case studies can use multiple data sources which ‘ensures that the issue is not explored through one lens, but rather a variety of lenses which allows for multiple facets of the phenomenon to be revealed and understood.’ (Baxter & Jack 2008) For this reason, a case study methodology was the most effective research approach available for enhancing our understanding of collaborative regional leadership in a Nordic context.

Four good-practice qualitative case study examples of Nordic collaborative regional leadership were identified and selected with the help and support of Nordic Thematic Group C and B members, including:

Danish Case: Coast to Coast Climate Challenge – The Coast to Coast Climate Challenge was an EU-funded collaborative project that brought together Danish municipal authorities to help build their capacity to develop and implement climate adaptation plans in their respective areas.
Finnish Case: Greenreality Network – The Greenreality Network in South Karelia is a collective of companies operating in the energy and environment sector. Its primary purpose is to foster growth and create new business opportunities not only for its members but for the entire region.
Åland Case: Grit:Lab – public institutions and businesses in the Åland Islands worked together to produce an innovative computer education programme initiative targeting adults looking to learn new skills and create career opportunities in tech development.
Icelandic Case: Telemedicine for healthcare accessibility in remote rural areas in Iceland – a visionary midwife worked with municipalities to secure funds from local private companies and public actors in the Kirkjubæjarklaustur Region in South Iceland to invest in telemedicine healthcare equipment.

As part of the case studies, carried out between March and September 2024, semi-structured interviews were conducted with regional public and private stakeholders participating in each collaborative initiative. The interviews were designed to ascertain their views on what factors made these cooperations successful and/or challenging in practice. The interview questions were structured around the key dimensions and characteristics of the regional leadership concept as identified in the academic literature on the topic (Beer & Clower 2014; Sotarauta et al. 2017; Beer et al. 2019; and Sotarauta & Beer 2021).

Structure of the Report

The remainder of this report outlines the key findings and conclusions to emerge from the survey results and case studies. The report is structured as follows: Chapter 1 provides an overview of the regional leadership concept and its key tenets. This conceptual analysis is followed by an overview of the results of the Nordic collaborative regional leadership survey in Chapter 2. The key research findings from Nordic collaborative regional leadership case studies are then presented in Chapters 3 to 6. The final Chapter 7 synthesises the main findings and conclusions from the case studies and survey before suggesting a holistic model of collaborative regional leadership, including recommendations on how to implement this model effectively. The findings and conclusions are targeted at Nordic regional institutional actors and stakeholders involved in facilitating and participating in collaborative regional leadership initiatives. The conclusions are designed to enhance stakeholder awareness, knowledge and understanding of the essential factors that contribute to the design and implementation of effective collaborative regional leadership processes.

References

Andreasson, U., & Lundqvist, M. (2018). Nordic leadership. Nordic Council of Ministers.

Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. The qualitative report, 13(4), 544-559.

Beer, A., & Clower, T. (2014). Mobilizing leadership in cities and regions. Regional Studies, Regional Science, 1(1), 5-20.

Beer, A., Ayres, S., Clower, T., Faller, F., Sancino, A., & Sotarauta, M. (2019). Place leadership and regional economic development: a framework for cross-regional analysis. Regional studies, 53(2), 171-182.

Bourdin, S., Moodie, J., Gassen, N. S., Evers, D., Adobati, F., Amdaoud, M., ... & Remete, Z. (2024). COVID-19 as a systemic shock: curb or catalyst for proactive policies towards territorial cohesion?. Regional Studies, 58(8), 1543-1556.

Cedergren, E., Huynh, D., Kull, M., Moodie, J., Sigurjónsdóttir., H.R., & Wøien Meijer, M. (2021). Public service delivery in the Nordic Region: An exercise in collaborative governance. Nordregio Report 2021: 4.

Enestam, J.E. (2021), Strategisk Genomlysning: Nordisk Civil Krisberedska, accessed at: https://www.norden.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/Enestam%20SE.pdf

Giacometti, A., & Teräs, J. (2019). Regional economic and social resilience: An exploratory in-depth study in the Nordic countries. Nordregio.

Giacometti, A., Wøien Meijer, M., & Salonen, H. (2024). Who drives green innovation in the Nordic Region?: A change agency and systems perspective. Nordregio.

Lundgren, A. Wøien Meijer, M., Löfving, L., Jensen, T., & Kivi, L., (2022), Storregionala samarbeten i Norden – en jämförande studie, Mälardalsrådet Report.

Norlén, G., Randall, L., Sánchez Gassen, N., & Tapia, C., (2022), State of the Nordic Region 2022, Nordregio Report.

Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2013). Do institutions matter for regional development?. Regional studies, 47(7), 1034-1047.

Slätmo, E., & Bogason, Á. (2024). Nordic rural policies for future service needs. Nordisk Administrativt Tidsskrift, 101(1).

Slätmo, E., Bogason, Á., Cedergren, E., Huynh, D., & Salonen, H., (2023) Service provision and access to services in Nordic rural areas. Nordregio Report 2023:2.

Sotarauta, M., & Beer, A. (2021). Handbook on city and regional leadership. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Sotarauta, M., Beer, A., & Gibney, J. (2017). Making sense of leadership in urban and regional development. Regional Studies, 51(2), 187-193.

Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. sage.

Stimson, R., Stough, R., & Roberts, B. (2002). Regional economic development: Analysis and planning strategy. Berlin: Springer.

Yin, R. K. (2003). Design and methods. Case study research, 3. Sage.