Local and regional governance in Europe. Evidence from the Nordic regions

Book abstract:

The European political landscape is one of constant flux and it is this alternating integration and disintegration which influences the basic conditions in which political power is exercised. This book argues that the interests of the cities and regions of Europe are increasingly influenced by European supranational institutions rather than the nation state and that governance in Europe is shifting to a regional and local level.

This shift of influence implies potential for economic development and new political strategies but also poses a serious threat to national identity and the traditional sovereignty of the state. Focusing on processes of internationalisation and regionalisation, the book discerns fascinating peculiarities in the Nordic response to a radically changing environment. The authors take a comparative approach to four Nordic countries and examine the efforts involved at local and regional level to safeguard interests. Their analysis and conclusions make fascinating reading for students and scholars of government and public policy and for civil servants and policy makers across Europe.

The chapters include: Nordic politics viewed in a changing territorial perspective; Conflict and harmony in the internationalisation of Danish local governments; The Europeanisation of local interests in Denmark: the strategic choice - to 'Go through' vs. to 'By-pass' national institutions?; Internationalisation on the local level in Norway; Swedish municipalities and the European Union; Regionalisation in Sweden; Finnish regions and municipalities in a Nordic setting: processes of restructuring, internationalisation and integration; East meets West. Cross-border co-operation in the Öresund - a successful case of transnational Region-building?; Nordic bifurcation in Post-Wall Europe.