First published in 1999, this volume is a study of regional and local co-operation across national borders in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and also of regional co-operation out of the area - across the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and in the Barents region. The focus of the study is on processes of region-building. Co-operation between regions across national borders is seen as a creative process, and as something that has to be nurtured and guided. The authors recognised the need for a work which examined issues crossing Nordic borders and made the information more publicly accessible, emerging within evolving discussions of regional governance, cross-border collaborations and Nordic co-operation. The editors have featured three forms of contributions: a series of regional case studies, collations of data on sub-national governments and relating these sub-national factors to debates on Nordic co-operation and European integration. Authors with specialist regional knowledge examine these processes in detail, through case studies which represent the most important of this type of Nordic area and provide a view of what may constitute 'success' in such ventures. The authors also discuss what such processes may signify for general Nordic co-operation against the backdrop of European integration and seek to indicate what Nordic regions may bring to European regionalism. Such a discussion is of particular interest since the EU acquired a new Nordic dimension when Sweden and Finland joined. Contributors' articles focus on areas including the Kvarken Council, the ARKO co-operation, the internationalisation of Finnish and Norwegian local government and the Oresund region. The collaboration was published in English in order to better contribute to discussions on cross-border interaction more widely, particularly in the case of Europe.

About the Author
Harald Baldersheim, professor of political science at the University of Oslo. Krister Stahlberg, professor of public administration at the Abo Academy.

Reviews
'...the themes alluded to in the title of this volume are of substantial academic and practical interest.' European Urban and Regional Studies '...the editors manage to bridge the gap between the scientific and the real world...In my opinion, anyone interested in cross-border region-building can benefit from this publication. Learning from these cases is easy and can help us find the right direction for the future.' Journal of Economic and Social Geography '...this book is well worth reading...a book able to give structured ideas of the cement , the actors and processes on the local and regional level doing their important share in the build-up of functional multinational entities in the North, is highly welcome.' European Review



Book Information
ISBN 9781138337176
Author Harald Baldersheim
Format Paperback
Page Count 177
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g