Review of Pontus Tallberg ed., Regioner i Europa, Region Skåne, Västra Götalandsregionen and Regionplane- och trafikkontoret, Stockholm, 216 pp.,2008 and Erik Westholm et al, Regionen som vision. Det politiska projektet Stockholm-Mälarregionen, SNS Förlag and Institutet för Framtidsstudier, Stockholm, 144 pp., 2008.
It is an undisputable fact that regions rather than states have gradually become the major focus in discussions of economic policy, growth and the renewal of community structures in recent years. Both economic and political interests can be united around the idea of geographical areas primarily based on, and interconnected by, functionality, rather than antiquated administrative borders.
The logic of open market forces truly defines efficient and competitive regions within these discourses. The trend towards focusing on the importance of functional regions is supported by the European Union and is, by and large, in line with the Lisbon strategy in respect of making Europe more globally competitive in the future.
The purpose of Regioner i Europa is to compare and contrast nine regions throughout Europe and Canada. The smallest region discussed is Limburg in the Netherlands with 1.1 million inhabitants, and the largest is Hessen in Germany with over 6 million inhabitants.
The regions described in the book differ fundamentally in size, economic, political and social structures, which make it rather hard to highlight interesting and broadly applicable results. I would have appreciated here references to and comparisons with, the three leading regions in Sweden, i.e. Stockholm, Göteborg (Västra Götaland) and Skåne.
To some extent the weaknesses of the book are compensated for by the first three chapters that quite meritoriously describe how the concept of regions developed over time. These chapters also describe how the concepts of "New Regionalism" and "New Public Management" were introduced and subsequently established in the debate. The battle between states and strong regional forces is then described in detail.
Regionen som vision describes how political and economic interests have to some extent shaped the idea of regions, i.e. the Stockholm-Mälarregion.
This is indeed a very interesting and excellently formulated book. From a rather critical point of view it tells the story of how public officials and politicians together quite successfully helped formulate a common vision of the Stockholm-Mälarregion, namely, how it should be interpreted and how the future ability to create sustainable growth and to compete internationally can and should be supported.
Organisations such as Mälardalsrådet and public bodies like the county councils are the key actors in this story. The authors very convincingly scrutinize the rhetorical arguments used in the debate. The first priority in creating a successful process is to reach a consensus. Controversial questions as to how public healthcare should be organized within the region are however seldom, if ever, debated.
Making the transportation infrastructure more efficient is a priority all stakeholders share. Unsurprisingly then such questions have tended to dominate both the internal discussions and the public debate. The author's point here is that when formulating the identity of the Stockholm-Mälarregion neither historical traditions nor factual conditions have a place. These factors are ruthlessly subordinated to the process of creating a common vision.
The ability of the region to compete on an international level is what really matters. Numerous regions across the world award themselves attributes such as innovation, flexibility and competitiveness, i.e. exactly the same characteristics formulated in the vision for Stockholm-Mälarregionen. That is another conclusion of importance to those who take an interest in the potential development of the region.