Publications / Other Interesting Publications (no NISPAcee)

This book describes how the prolonged structural reform in Sweden
has forced regions to develop their institutional role and capacity in
an explorative way. As the national government has withdrawn from
strategy formulation and decision-making in regional policy, and
more issues on the local level of governance have to be coordinated
regionally, the demands on the Swedish regions’ institutional capacity
have increased.
In order to meet these demands and overcome regional
disparities in capacity and resources, a laboratory for knowledge-
sharing and capacity building called Reglab has been established
by the regions. Based on the principles of a participative approach to
learning, strong ownership by members and a bottom-up perspective
on regional development, this inclusive model of capacity building
facilitates policy implementation, and functions as a balancing and
redistributive measure between the regions.
In this book we have asked the regions to describe how they
have dealt with the challenges of regional development in various
policy areas, and how they have developed their own organizations
in doing so. The book concludes with a chapter by Professor Andrés
Rodríguez-Pose, which highlights the importance of strong institutions
in regional development, and demonstrates how policy and institutional
capacity have to be combined in order to have a real impact.

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