REGION BUILDING AND ECONOMIC CHANGE IN WESTERN NORWAY

Jørgen Amdam, Volda University College, Norway

In Scandinavia there is an ongoing process of change of political-administrative regions, typically to amalgamate counties (and municipalities) into larger units. I will discuss how changes in civil society, economic development and related changes in the localisation of economic activities and jobs can influence regional structures and integration. In my opinion an important goal must be to create political regions that correspond closely to cultural and economic regions and the structure of industries – regions that have the political ability to increase regional capacity and to stimulate learning, innovation and institutional capacity. Regarding changes in Western Norway some general characteristics are dominant (Amdam 2005):

• the South is growing while the North is stable or declining.

• the Coast is growing while the fjord and mountain areas are declining

• urban areas are growing and rural areas are declining

My aim is to use Western Norway as an example to analyse the possible consequences of different alternatives. What will be the consequences of different political and administrative structures for the development in the region? I argue from a planner’s point of view, claiming that the capacity for development is created in the interplay between the economic system, civil society and public sector activity.