Publications

Across Europe, local leaders, citizens, researchers and policymakers have come together to answer a crucial question: how can we make rural regions more attractive, inclusive, and resilient in the face of ongoing demographic and economic shifts? As part of the PREMIUM_EU project, ten Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs)—open forums for co-learning and policy development—continued their work from the SHERPA project to share what’s working, what’s not, and how mobility can become a force for positive regional transformation. Key Findings from Rural Europe The MAPs worked across 10 regions and countries, from the Bieszczady Mountains of Poland to the Southwest Alentejo in Portugal. Despite regional differences, some shared lessons emerged: 5 Inspiring Examples of Innovative Local Action Related publications

The Nordic and Baltic societies have undergone a comprehensive digital transformation of the public sector in recent decades, with several public and financial services now requiring the use of electronic IDs (eID). This study aims to explore how eID is being rolled out in smaller societies and the barriers and solutions to doing so in an inclusive manner. The research is based on extensive desk research and in-depth fieldwork conducted in the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland in 2024. During the fieldwork in the three societies, 50 interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders, including policymakers, NGOs, civil society representatives, banks, business representatives, and municipalities.  The three case studies reflect distinct institutional and technological approaches: a tailored national solution in the Faroe Islands, a top-down implementation of the Danish eID system in Greenland, and a hybrid model relying on private bank-issued eIDs in Åland. Despite differences, common challenges emerged, particularly for older adults, people with disabilities, immigrants and those with limited digital access. Key findings show the need to engage with local stakeholders and thoroughly understand the respective populations’ needs, concerns and digital capabilities. The report concludes with 12 policy takeaways, including the importance of maintaining analogue options, involving civil society, ensuring accessibility and language relevance, and clarifying institutional responsibilities. These insights offer practical guidance for policymakers working to implement inclusive eID systems in small, remote or otherwise digitally vulnerable contexts.

Despite the high level of digitalisation in the Nordic region, certain population groups face challenges in accessing and utilising digital services. Immigrant women, and more specifically newly arrived and those with limited local language proficiency and lower socioeconomic or educational backgrounds, are identified as a digitally vulnerable group. This study explores digital inclusion of immigrant women in the Nordics, focusing on the policy landscape, barriers, and practices for promoting digital engagement. Insights for encouraging digital inclusion among immigrant women in the Nordic countries include: This working paper is produced by Nordregio for the Nordic Welfare Centre and the project of Nordic collaboration on integration of refugees and immigrants.

Connectivity powers everything from smart farming to remote healthcare. Yet rural areas remain underserved and understudied. This working paper identifies key indicators and policies for balancing business potential with social outcomes for Nordic-Baltic smart communities.

The expansion of stable digital connectivity in rural Nordic regions has fuelled innovation across various sectors. In the health and social care sector, distance spanning solutions offer a novel opportunity to provide better, more accessible, efficient, and sustainable services, particularly to people in underserved areas.   The project “Integrated Healthcare and Care through Distance Spanning Solutions” (iHAC) has been looking into the different aspects surrounding the provision of remote care services, ranging from questions on sustainability over regional development to governance. This discussion paper aims to unearth some of the factors that need to be taken into consideration to ensure an inclusive rollout of distance spanning health solutions in the Nordic countries. It further aims to provide directions for future investigations into the inclusion dimension of digital health and care services.  This paper focuses on four of the five Nordic model regions identified in the iHAC publication “Integrated Healthcare and Care through distance spanning solutions – for increased service accessibility”: Päijät-Häme, Finland, Fjallabyggð, Iceland, Agder, Norway and Norrtälje, Sweden.  

The digital transformation in public services has changed how citizens use essential services. In many Nordic and Baltic countries, there is a lack of understanding of the effectiveness of digital inclusion initiatives. This case study collects learnings from Denmark’s public transport system, which has worked ambitiously with inclusion. It highlights best practices in digital inclusion, that can benefit similar initiatives across the Nordic-Baltic region. Rejsekort & Rejseplan A/S (RK), Denmark’s national e-ticketing system for public transport, launched a new app-based solution as part of its broader digitalisation strategy. In this case study, we examine RK’s journey in balancing digital innovation with the imperative of digital inclusion. The results showed that achieving digital inclusion requires a nuanced strategy, and in this case, including a physical alternative solution addressing the needs of vulnerable user groups, including older adults and people with disabilities. Lessons included building on existing knowledge on digital inclusion, maintaining continuous user involvement, conducting pilot testing, and ensuring inclusion across the entire user journey. Additionally, RK’s experience demonstrates the importance of internal organisational readiness and the need to balance technological innovation with user needs. Lastly, without sustained leadership focus, these initiatives risk losing internal traction. This case study offers valuable lessons for other Nordic and Baltic organisations, especially as they navigate similar digitalisation and transformation projects.

The Nordic countries are considered to be global front-runners in creating sustainable societies. Although we get a lot of things right, big tasks lie ahead if we are to reach our vision to be the most integrated and sustainable region in the world by 2030. The Sustainable Living programme, running from 2021 through 2024, is a response to this challenge and a call to action. It has explored what a sustainable Nordic lifestyle entails and formulated concrete guidelines and tools for policy and business development. It has demonstrated public impact through the spread of information and inspiration, the development of new business areas that can be ecolabelled and the demonstration of necessary behavioural and cultural changes. In this Sustainable Living Hub, you can access all our projects’ resources in one place. From survey results and research reviews to practical guidelines, teaching materials, webinars, and policy recommendations.

Civil society actors play a crucial part in bridging the digital divide. Their work on the multifaceted needs of at-risk groups should not be overlooked. How are NGOs across the Nordic-Baltic Region working to include their target groups? What hurdles do they face and how can we all – from policymakers to society at large – bolster their efforts going forward?  To promote equal access to digitalised society, this publication explores the unique challenges and triumphs of NGOs aiding diverse groups. As part of Nordregio’s research project titled “Digital Inclusion in Action”, this Storymap highlights the important role of civil society actors in combating digital exclusion in the Nordic and Baltic region. The results showed that civil society actors in the Nordic and Baltic countries use a diverse range of approaches and tools to address needs and challenges – ranging from skills development, technological development, and lobbying. The data collection for this publication involved mapping of stakeholders, as well as a survey, conducted in spring 2023, targeting 314 civil society actors across the Nordic and Baltic region. Of the 74 responses received, 93% indicated their user group was at risk of digital exclusion, and 83% were actively providing assistance to those at risk. Following the survey, 25 interviews were conducted between October 2023 and February 2024 with representatives from Nordic and Baltic NGOs. Seventeen of the interviewed NGOs are presented in the final Storymap.

State of the Nordic Region 2024 takes stock of the latest trends and developments in demography, labour market and economy in the Nordic countries, regions, municipalities, and cities. This year’s report marks the 20th edition of the State of the Nordic Region, a bi-annually published report that provides a Nordic panorama of regional development trends in the Nordic countries based on the latest statistical data, maps and analyses. Watch the video from the online launch event (19 June) to get an overview of the report highlights. The State of the Nordic Region 2024 presents a collection of maps, figures and analysis within three core areas: demography, labour market, and economy, as well as a newly updated Regional Potential Index. DEMOGRAPHY What are the latest demographic trends in the Nordic Region? What kind of impact did the pandemic have on different aspects of demographic development? The demography section compiles insights from population statistics on mortality and birth, population change and migration in the Nordic Region based on the most recent available data.   Ch 1: Population change beyond the pandemic Ch 2: Fertility decline in the Nordic Region Ch 3: The Nordic geography of diversity LABOUR MARKET What kind of labour market trends are the most prevalent in the Nordic Region at the moment? How has the labour market recovered since the pandemic? Do we have the necessary skills and compe­tences to remain competitive in the future? And how is the green transition shaping the labour market? The labour market section tackles the latest developments of the labour market from different perspectives. Ch 4: The Nordic labour market after the pandemic Ch 5: Challenges of labour shortages and skills provision Ch 6: Green transition of the labour market ECONOMY Achieving sustainable, long-term regional development requires that economic, environmental, and social aspects are…

This report explores the past, present, and future of labour mobility in the Nordic Region. Historical milestones and migration trends that have shaped cross-border employment are examined, highlighting both advancements and ongoing challenges such as tax legislation and language barriers. With the demand for highly educated workers increasing amidst demographic changes, the importance of Nordic cooperation and the growing trend of remote work are also discussed. The common Nordic labour market, formalised in 1954, was an extension of Sweden’s earlier efforts in the 1940s to support its booming industry. Over the years, various Nordic countries joined European frameworks like the EEC and the European Economic Area (EEA), enhancing mobility. Despite the unique long-standing cooperation and freedom, practical barriers still hinder seamless cross-border labour movement. Could a more integrated Nordic labour market contribute to solve lack of competence and skills mismatch? Today, only 1.6 % live in another Nordic country than they were born in, and a lower share than the EU average commute to another Nordic country for work. We end the report by asking four daring and forward-looking questions, with the aim of starting a discussion about how the common Nordic labour market can be developed further and encourage readers to think more broadly and look ahead to the future. 

This report builds on the findings of the Nordic-Baltic 5G Monitoring Tool (N-B 5G MT) project ‘Analytical Report’, which focused on mapping 5G activities in the Nordic-Baltic region and analysing their roll-out status. In this follow-up report, we delve deeper into actual 5G applications across different verticals (i.e. sectors), including healthcare, transportation/mobility, industry and media/broadcasting. The Nordic-Baltic region faces knowledge gaps in understanding 5G’s full economic impact, despite its role as both a service and an enabler. While there’s notable activity in sectors like transport, smart cities, and health, most 5G projects are still in the early stages, and the business case for widespread 5G deployment is not yet clear. This report examines how various sectors address these challenges and what can be learned from their experiences in advancing 5G development.  The report identifies challenges in each sector, such as funding constraints in healthcare, technical hurdles in transportation, market immaturity in industry, and infrastructure investment needs in media, highlighting the complex landscape of 5G deployment. The project’s key findings point to a number of cross-cutting challenges that require comprehensive attention and solutions: Overall, the report emphasises the need for a systemic approach to addressing these challenges. This includes clarifying the business value of 5G; fostering ecosystems for collaboration; and ensuring that policy and regulatory frameworks support the innovative, equitable deployment of 5G technology. Overcoming these hurdles will require concerted efforts from all stakeholders, including governments, industry and the wider community. Only then will the transformative potential of 5G for society be fully realised.

This discussion paper defines digital inclusion, exploring whether it is a process or state, its focus on services or users, and its role as a human right or service. It identifies key barriers to digital inclusion such as access (internet connectivity, device availability) and capability (digital literacy, language issues). These barriers particularly affect demographic groups like the elderly, disabled, less educated, rural residents, and immigrants. The paper is a part of the “Digital Inclusion in Action” project, examines digital inclusion in the Nordic-Baltic region, aligning with the EU’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). Authored by the Digital Europe consortium, its goal is to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among practitioners and policymakers. The paper suggests two main strategies for enhancing digital inclusion monitoring. Initially, it advocates for increased cooperation among Nordic-Baltic countries to standardise monitoring practices and facilitate knowledge sharing. In the longer term, it recommends aligning more closely with the EU’s DESI framework to integrate digital inclusion monitoring and benefit from a broader knowledge base for benchmarking and learning.

This study assesses digital inclusion policies in the Nordic and Baltic regions, focusing on how digital inclusion is defined and monitored. Covering policies published after December 2021 and considering earlier ones that are still in effect, it found 33 strategies, with 19 new ones. Despite the increased focus, a unified definition of digital inclusion across these regions is absent. The study notes similarities in understanding digital inclusion, yet distinct national challenges highlight the need for context-specific approaches. Monitoring digital inclusion remains fragmented, lacking standard criteria. The study suggests a more coordinated approach to enhance digital inclusion strategies. While countries like Sweden and Denmark initiate structured monitoring, the overall approach to digital inclusion varies, reflecting diverse national challenges but also offering opportunities for collaborative learning and policy development.

The Nordic Rural Youth Panel has synthesized a report outlining 40 actionable recommendations for making rural areas in the Nordic region more attractive for young people. The recommendations address the ongoing trend of young people moving to cities, highlighting the need for better public transportation, various housing options, and education that connects to local job markets in rural areas. The panel wants to change the common view that success and a good life can only be found in cities, and highlight the potential and vibrancy of rural areas. The report expands on several key areas: Developed with input from 25 young people across the whole Nordic region, the panel’s recommendations serve as a guide for creating appealing, dynamic, and sustainable rural communities, ensuring young people are at the centre of these efforts.

The report provides an overview of the status of 5G roll-out and its industrial uptake in the Nordic-Baltic region. The aim is not only to present the roll-out status across the region but also to put these insights into a broader political and technological context. The report describes some of the most relevant testbeds and policy initiatives, provides examples of successful and promising use cases, and highlights existing strengths and ongoing challenges in the Nordic-Baltic region. Juxtaposing these against established goals emphasises areas for possible future cooperation and knowledge exchange between the Nordic and Baltic actors to encourage sustainable innovation and competitiveness across the region.  The report reveals notable variations in the progress of 5G coverage among the Nordic-Baltic countries. Denmark and Finland have made significant strides and surpassed the European Union average regarding 5G coverage, while other countries still face challenges in catching up.   Despite the presence of numerous 5G activities, such as testbeds and innovation hubs, a considerable number of initiatives remain in the testing and prototyping stage. The report indicates that the full potential of 5G for innovation and competitiveness in the Nordic-Baltic region has yet to be fully realised.   With the accelerated digitalisation brought by 5G, the importance of cyber security considerations increases. As 5G networks increase electricity demand, it is essential to consider the environmental footprint and societal effects of their rollout. While 5G has immense potential, it necessitates significant adjustments in various areas, including network infrastructure, systems, applications, data ethics, privacy, and workforce implications. Challenges related to social inclusion further underscore the importance of cooperation and synergy across the region.  The report highlights the need for increased knowledge exchange, the formulation of common roadmaps, and the establishment of guidelines to promote harmonised 5G deployment. Collaborative efforts among stakeholders are crucial for maximising the benefits…

In 2019, it was estimated that, of 5,000 Nordic start-ups, 10% included solutions that addressed the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, many of them struggled to make a profit, especially at the early stages and mostly due to a lack of access to the market and to the right supporters. Considering this, Nordic Innovation has funded this desk study for mapping barriers and enablers of impact start-ups through public procurement.  This publiction consists of two sections: The first part addresses barriers to public procurement, enablers for social innovation, and institutional support measures. In part two, we evaluate how Nordic municipalities use alternative financial models such as social impact bonds (SIBs) and public-private partnerships to achieve social impact. The content is developed from the perspective of impact start-ups and entrepreneurs, institutions, public-private partnerships, and impact investors. Each perspective considers the barriers and enablers for impact start-ups according to their spheres of action. By reviewing the existing obstacles and opportunities facing impact start-ups in the Nordic Region, planners and policymakers can improve the legal framework to remove barriers and strengthen existing enablers to help impact start-ups meet societal needs.

Service provision is one of the key factors that make rural areas attractive and viable. Recent and ongoing developments, such as migration flows, digitalisation and the effects of climate change influence service accessibility and perceptions of which services are essential for everyday rural lives. It is therefore relevant to investigate service provision and access to services from different perspectives. This report presents results based on in-depth field work in eight case studies of rural areas identified as having high access to services or as good examples in their national and regional context: Lolland, Suðuroy, Kinnula, Avannaata, Múlaþing, Herøy, Vimmerby and Geta. The aim of the field work has been to investigate service provision and validate the results of a research and policy review focusing on Nordic rural areas. The investigations presented in this report focus on the following questions: Which services are considered essential, and how does that vary in rural areas across the Nordics? How are services provided, what roles and responsibilities are involved in their provision? Which challenges are encountered, and what solutions are being developed to solve challenges associated with access to essential services in Nordic rural areas? In answering these questions based on the eight case studies, the report aims to create knowledge and inspire actors in and around the Nordic rural areas. The answers can be read as a source of inspiration in their own right. The case study descriptions also enable a cross-Nordic comparison, aimed at identifying common patterns and unique Nordic innovations regarding rural service provisions, from which others can learn. It is therefore possible to gain an overview of the report solely from the cross-Nordic comparison.

Loneliness and social isolation pose significant challenges for older people living alone and in nursing homes by affecting their physical and mental health. Due to requirements for self-isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic, these challenges have been further exacerbated. The use of digital technology in elderly care has the potential to combat social isolation, for example, by increasing access to home care and providing opportunities to participate in social activities. Nevertheless, previous knowledge about the efficiency of digital interventions to counteract the loneliness of older people is limited. The new report investigates how caregivers have dealt with the challenges of loneliness and social isolation of the elderly population during the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on the use of digital technologies. The aim was also to understand better how digital tools can be used in a socially inclusive way in elderly care. The research method consisted of semi-structured interviews with municipal officials, senior care managers and senior care staff in three case study municipalities (Huddinge, Eskilstuna and Storuman). In addition, older adults who live in nursing homes and at home with support efforts such as home care were interviewed, and a mapping analysis of the case study municipalities was carried out. The transcribed interview material was analysed using a qualitative manifest content analysis method. According to the interview results in the three case study municipalities, the pandemic has not been a considerable driving force for a digital transformation in elderly care. In all municipalities, they had started working on certain digitisation efforts even before the pandemic broke out in the spring of 2020. With the pandemic, they had to make quick and courageous decisions, and the municipalities also received state grants that enabled digital investments, such as the purchase of digital equipment. In addition, the elderly care staff supported the elderly using digital…

This discussion paper analyses the Nordic just green transition from the perspective of a set of target social groups, including unemployed persons and those at risk of unemployment, older adults, children and persons with disabilities. Based on a diverse literature review, comprising peer-reviewed academic papers, legal documents and unpublished reports, the report explores how climate mitigation policies may impact these social groups, both positively and negatively, and thereby sheds light on how such policies may contribute to a just green transition in a Nordic context. This report is part of Not Just a Green Transition – Examining the path towards a socially just green transition in the Nordic Region (NJUST), a Nordic research project funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The report contextualises the notion of a just green transition in the Nordic Region, and elaborates on how climate policies can be implemented in such a way that the transition does not negatively harm vulnerable groups in society.

This discussion paper is based on a literature review of the just green transition in a Nordic, European and OECD setting, via the lens of three interrelated dimensions within this concept: transition, green economy and social justice. Like all countries around the world, the Nordic countries are facing climate change and the transition towards a more sustainable future.  All Nordic countries and self-governing territories are in the process of implementing national, regional and local strategies and policies aimed at mitigating climate change and its effects on society. The transition to a more sustainable future has implications for the economy, for example different economic sectors and their composition and how we interact with and govern natural resources and biodiversity. This process is often referred to as the green transition. One key component of the green transition is how it can unfold in a just way that protects communities, territories and specific social groups from the potential negative consequences of such policies – or enables their involvement in or empowerment by such processes. The discussion paper starts by outlining the aim and the guiding questions. There then follows a section presenting the research methods and sources of material. Section 4 presents a review of the concepts transition, green economy and social justice, along with an overview of the overarching concept of the just green transition. This is followed by a discussion of its key implications in the Nordic Region. The section concludes with proposals for working definitions of concepts for the NJUST project.