OECD Territorial Reviews
Subtitle: Norway 2007
By: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Series: OECD Territorial Reviews; OECD territorial reviews
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Paris
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] /
Number of pages: 268
ISBN-13: 9789264038080
Subjects: Governance; Rural and Regional Development Urban
Description: Few other countries feature the combination of very low population densities and difficult topography that hinders communication, in addition to a variety of contrasting climates. But the "Nordic welfare model" strives, with a good degree of success, to offer equal living conditions to all citizens by providing proper access to quality public services across the country. This comes, however, at great cost. This publication asks whether such a model can be sustainable in the long run, when population ageing and the reduction of petroleum reserves will reduce the leeway that the rapidly growing economy offers.  It examines whether competitiveness and innovation could be further developed, given the high share of resource-based and traditional activities and whether urban policy could be better integrated into regional policy so as to better harness the energy of regional growth engines in different areas of the country, including the northern most parts. Lastly, it looks at whether impending regional reform could facilitate the necessary adaptations by transferring more power to regional councils.
Table of contents: title: Assessment and Recommendations; title: Regional Performances and Underused Potentials; title: Assessing Regional Policies; title: Governance Issues.