Public service delivery in the Nordic Region: An exercise in collaborative governance

Abstract

Nordic welfare states are world renowned for providing high quality public services. Nordic municipal and regional authorities, in particular, play a central role in the delivery of key public services in areas, such as, health, education, and social care. However, in recent years, public authorities have faced several challenges which have reduced capacity and resources, including long periods of austerity following the 2008 financial crash, rapid demographic changes caused by an ageing population, and the COVID-19 health crisis. In response to these challenges many public authorities have looked to inter-regional, inter-municipal and cross-border collaborations to improve the quality and effectiveness of public service delivery (OECD 2017; ESPON 2019). Indeed, collaborative public service delivery is becoming increasingly prominent in the Nordic Region due to a highly decentralized systems of governance (Nordregio 20015; Eythorsson 2018).

Essential rural services in the Nordic Region – Challenges and opportunities

“…The trend towards collaborative service agreements involves agreements to ensure service provision between different public actors (municipalities, regions and state bodies, both national and cross-border) or between public and private sector actors (Cedergren et al 2021). The trend towards collaborative service agreements in the Nordic countries also takes the form of: The trend toward increased digitalisation is an opportunity for rural areas, as it enables distance-spanning service solutions.…”

Service provision and access to services in Nordic rural areas

“…The municipality has a high old-age dependency ratio, where the population aged 65+, as a proportion of the working age population, is between 40% and 51% (Cedergren et al, 2021). Lolland also has a fast-declining population, higher unemployment rates than neighbouring regions and Denmark as an average, as well as more inhabitants that have only completed primary education compared to other Danish regions (see figure 1).…”

“…The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link, a tunnel connection from Denmark to Germany, is also a source of great potential. The construction process is expected to bring businesses to the area, along with opportunities for industrial production, particularly within high-end products (Cedergren et al, 2021). The large building and construction sector is very important to the region, employing approximately 13% of the population in Lolland-Falster (Business Lolland-Falster, 2020).…”

A review of the challenges and strategies of delivering services of general interest in European rural areas

“…From initial consultation to testing the idea in practice, the provision and design of healthcare is interactive, collaborative and offers opportunities for stakeholders to participate in their coproduction. This also enables the joint development of measures targeting rural areas (BMVI, 2015;Cedergren et al, 2021).…”