201 News
Innovation in rural mobility – new report delivers best practices
Is there a difference between rural Japan and rural Finland? And how does it reflect upon matters of rural mobility? A new report zooms into the issue of how to achieve cost-effective and sustainable access to transport and mobility for people living in rural areas who don’t own a car. “Innovations for better rural mobility” is the result of a collaboration stemming from an International Transport Forum/OECD Working Group that focused on Innovative Mobility for Periphery. Nordregio Senior Research Advisor Linda Randall worked with experts from Australia, Argentina, Canada, France, Norway, Poland, and other countries to define and develop international best practices and recommendations for cases when public transport is not viable. Nordregio has experience when it comes to rural mobility, having been an integral part of the MAMBA project that ended in 2020. The initiative focused on the Baltic Sea Regions and strived to develop sustainable “people-to-service” and “service-to-people” mobility solutions in rural areas.
2022 January
- Nordic Region
- Regional innovation
- Nordic Region
- Regional innovation
New Nordic study on regional policy and instruments for economic recovery
Nordregio researchers analysed regional policy and examined policy instruments to deal with economic shocks and crises across the Nordics. The study contributes knowledge and experience about the Nordic countries’ regional policies and efforts to deal with economic recovery in regions or municipalities. How do countries define regional policy? What responsibilities do actors in the multi-level system have at different levels? How do actors at different levels interact to handle economic shocks or crises? These and many other relevant questions are the focus and receive answers in this study. According to Nordregio Senior Research Fellow Anna Lundgren, what is considered as regional policy, rural policy, and regional development policy differs between the Nordic countries. Regional policy is also complemented with sector policies, such as labour market policy, infrastructure and tax policy, which affect regional development on a large scale. The implementation of regional policy takes place in multi-level governance frameworks adapted to the institutional structure in the individual countries. -The systems to deal with economic shocks or crises in the Nordic countries are place-based and include actors and measures from national, regional and local levels. Well-functioning multi-level governance cooperation and trust among actors are key factors in dealing with economic shocks or crises, says A. Lundgren. The study is based on document studies and semi-structured interviews with representatives from the regional political system at the national and regional levels and with experts in the field. Read the publication here (in Swedish).
2021 September
- Nordic Region
- Finance
- Governance
- Regional innovation
- Sustainable development
Junior Research Fellow within sustainable regional development in rural and urban areas
Nordregio is currently seeking to expand its capacity by adding a new Icelandic speaking Junior Research Fellow to the team. In particular, we are looking for candidates with an educational background and/or experience in one or more of the following fields: Sustainable rural development (e.g. policy analysis and issues concerning challenges and opportunities for rural areas) Innovative and resilient regions (e.g. green transition, resilience, skills, welfare, smart specialisation, and digitalisation) Sustainable cities and urban planning (e.g. issues concerning transport, housing, public spaces, and planning systems) Requirements The position as Junior Research Fellow requires a bachelor- or master’s degree (300 ECTS) or equivalent. The degree should be in a social science discipline aligned with at least one of the research fields above (e.g. economics, political science, sociology, geography, planning or similar). A Junior Research Fellow is expected to have up to two years of relevant experience in research or practice after graduation. Highly motivated with the ability to work independently, as well as the skills to work effectively in a cooperative research environment. Strong analytical skills and the ability to take a creative approach to complex problems. Well-developed communication skills including the ability to network and work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders and partner organisations. Ability and willingness to contribute to Nordregio’s goal of being an environmentally conscious, supportive and equal working place. Fluent in English and Icelandic and if not already fluent in a Scandinavian language, the willingness to acquire a working knowledge of Danish, Norwegian or Swedish within a short period of time. The geographic scope of your fields of interest includes in-depth knowledge of at least one Nordic country as well as a pan-European perspective. Main Work Tasks Participate in research projects under the supervision of senior researchers. Work independently with the collection and processing of…
2021 September
- Nordic Region
- Regional innovation
- Rural development
- Urban planning
Nordregio is hiring: Head of GIS Department
Nordregio is inviting applications for a senior position as Head of GIS Department. Working at Nordregio means an opportunity to become part of a truly international research environment with a focus on sustainable regional development in the Nordic region and beyond. It offers significant career development potential in terms of enhancing your competences through applied and policy relevant research, achieving an international network of contacts, as well as getting extensive experience in team and project management. You will also get rich opportunities to collaborate with regional and municipal stakeholders in the Nordic countries. Nordregio is currently seeking a new Head of GIS Department with: Expertise in GIS, geo-data, quantitative analysis, and applied research in the field of regional development. Experience in leading a team and managing projects as well as a successful track record in grant applications. Knowledge in geographies and socio-economic trends in the Nordic Region and beyond. A drive for working in teams and in an international applied research environment. Eagerness to present and disseminate results to different stakeholder groups, both orally and in written format. Competences and qualifications As Head of GIS Department, you both lead and manage the GIS-team by planning and organising tasks and activities, communicate with each team member and contribute to their development. You are also a project manager with responsibilities to attract, initiate and lead externally funded research and innovation projects. The geographic scope of your field of interest includes a European and international perspective and expert knowledge in at least one of the Nordic countries. We appreciate abilities in external networking and in communication with stakeholders. Internally we appreciate analytical and creative skills, complemented by abilities to both cooperate and work on your own. For this position, you have at least 6 years of relevant work experience and an extensive network…
2021 February
- Arctic
- Baltic Sea Region
- Cross-border
- Europe
- Global
- Nordic Region
- Arctic issues
- Bioeconomy
- Covid-19
- Digitalisation
- Finance
- Gender equality
- Governance
- Green transition
- Integration
- Labour market
- Maritime spatial planning
- Migration
- Regional innovation
- Rural development
- Sustainable development
- Tourism
- Urban planning
The Geography of Higher Education – Evaluation of the Academy for Smart Specialisation
The report ‘Evaluation of the Academy for Smart Specialisation’ is the first of ‘The geography of higher education’ OECD series, which aims to help fill the gap between academic research/teaching and business/society. The Academy for Smart Specialisation is a partnership between the regional government of Värmland and Karlstad University. The aim of the Academy is to generate academic research and skills in areas that are relevant for regional competitiveness, as identified by Värmland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy – and to generate advanced services that help enhance the region’s capacity in identifying emerging industries and key local assets. This evaluation was performed by OECD in collaboration with Nordregio during spring 2020. Project leader from Nordregio was Jukka Teräs, Senior Research Fellow. Linnea Löfving, Research Fellow and Diana Huynh, Junior Research Fellow also worked on the team. “The Academy for Smart Specialisation is a great example of how to link a regional Smart Specialisation Strategy to Higher Education Institutions, not only to promote research, innovation and collaboration but also to facilitate the long term need of skills and competence in the region. The partnership between Region Värmland and Karlstad University shows that the two parties have understood that together they can create added value both in terms of economic resources and in terms of a strengthened entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region,” says Linnea Löfving, Research Fellow at Nordregio. Most of the programmes and projects implemented by the Academy have generated value for both the regional smart specialisation strategy as well as for Karlstad University. At the level of selected individual projects, however, the overall alignment between stated objectives and expected results varies significantly. Some projects have exceeded expectations regarding quality of research and/or cooperation with industry – others have not. But overall, the management, coordination, and implementation of the Academy for the first…
2020 December
- Covid-19
- Regional innovation
How to prepare for Home Alone Christmas 2020?
Are you longing for big family celebrations or secretly feeling relieved and excited to spend this Christmas on your own? In 2020, Christmas is going to be more digital and more local than ever. Nordregio’s Home Alone Christmas Map tells you exactly how to prepare for it. A good internet connection and access to grocery stores are very important success factors when one must spend a “Home Alone” style Christmas this year. For those of you who are saddened by the Christmas restrictions, we have good news. The recent developments in digital solutions allow us to meet and celebrate with family and friends online. And for those of you who are feeling relief when thinking about skipping the celebrations, you can still blame it on the poor broadband connection if you live in some parts of Finland, Norway, the Faroe Islands or Greenland, but do not try this excuse in Denmark, Sweden, Iceland or Åland. You could instead find comfort in endless streaming possibilities for Christmas movies! Due to travel restrictions, near and far, the go-to place this year is our very own, local grocery store – plan for an evening to remember with a local twist. Unless you planned ahead and ordered most food items online. If you are running late, as usual, every kilometer and mile counts when you are rushing to the local store to fight over the last piece of ham. We see no reason to worry for late-runners in most cities across the Nordic Region. But if you are in Iceland or the northern parts of Finland or Sweden – well, we really hope you have planned ahead. As you can see on the map, Home Alone Christmas conditions vary greatly across the Nordic Region. Take a look at the municipality you live in and…
2020 December
- Nordic Region
- Digitalisation
- Green transition
- Regional innovation