Demographic challenges in regional development: A study of regional political leadership in Sweden and Finland

IF 1.7 Q2 POLITICAL SCIENCE

Regional and Federal Studies Pub Date : 2021-07-29 DOI:10.1080/13597566.2021.1959322

E. Sundqvist

引用次数: 2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Urbanization has fostered territorial polarization in many countries with the shift from an industrial to an increasingly knowledge-based economy. This shift benefits urban regions by spurring economic development, while many rural regions experience population decline, shrinking tax bases, and economic stagnation. While demographic development is a major factor in regional development, it is unclear how it affects regional political leadership. This article examines how demographic factors affect politicians’ influence on regional development in Sweden and Finland based on survey data of regional council representatives from both countries (n = 930). The findings indicate that strong population growth does not have a strong influence on regional development in these countries, implying that regional political leadership is not limited to dynamic urban regions with great development prospects, as leadership is also present in rural regions. Moreover, political variables are more important for politicians’ influence than demographic factors.

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区域发展中的人口挑战：瑞典和芬兰区域政治领导力研究

摘要随着工业经济向知识经济的转变，城市化在许多国家造成了地区两极分化。这种转变通过刺激经济发展使城市地区受益，而许多农村地区经历了人口下降、税基缩小和经济停滞。虽然人口发展是区域发展的一个主要因素，但尚不清楚它如何影响区域政治领导。本文基于瑞典和芬兰地区理事会代表的调查数据，研究了人口因素如何影响政治家对地区发展的影响 = 930）。研究结果表明，人口的强劲增长对这些国家的区域发展没有强烈影响，这意味着区域政治领导力不仅限于具有巨大发展前景的充满活力的城市地区，农村地区也存在领导力。此外，政治变量对政治家的影响力比人口因素更重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Regional and Federal Studies POLITICAL SCIENCE-

CiteScore

3.80

自引率

21.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： The upsurge of academic and political interest in regional and federal questions since the 1980s has been stimulated by the salience of regions in EU policy-making and the Structural Funds but also by regionalization and federalization processes in many Western states. The most striking example is the devolution occurring in the UK, but the process is at work all over Europe and in other parts of the world. These developments have led to many important research programmes and projects. Regional and Federal Studies is a refereed social science journal which provides an academic forum for the publication of international research on these issues. It is essential reading for both academics and practitioners in politics, administration and the business world.