To get answers to these questions, a Nordregio team went to Norway. We needed inside information to enhance our existing knowledge base. And we got it. This brief summary of the meeting offers a glimpse into the discussions that took place.
The meeting occurred at KRD (Kommunal- og regionaldepartementet) on the 27th of May 2011, where a team from Nordregio met with regional and national decision-makers in a dialogue that focused on demography in the Nordic countries, regions and innovations, energy policy, and other future challenges of regional development. As a starting point for the discussion, Nordregio researchers presented analysis from our latest synthesis report Regional Development in the Nordic Countries.
Different experiences and questions were expressed during the interactive meeting. The challenges and opportunities that Norway, as a welfare society, faces was one of the focal points. The causality between innovation and regional development raised both attention and questions. Additionally, the capacity of regional efforts as opposed to national policies was discussed. Finally, the need for support on issues concerning governance and regional processes was underlined.
For all of the themes discussed during the meeting, there was a strong interest in more comparative analyses with international perspectives. The need for support in interpreting and structuring analysis and foundations was identified by the decision-makers. For instance, predictions from ESPON often differ from Norwegian predictions.
"Benchlearning" is interesting as we can learn from practice in the surrounding society, but comparing regions is a complex task. There is a demand for finding tools and methods for exchanging knowledge, making broader comparisons and for co-operation in cross-border regions.
Synthesis reports were found to be valuable and our researchers attracted a lot of attention with their extracts from the Regional Development in the Nordic Countries report. However, the need for greater information in less time demands complementary tools, where critical issues or new trends are presented in a concise and compact format.