Regionen - Räddningen för utflyttningskommuner? En analys av regiondiskursen i två kommuner i Västernorrland

Sammanfattning: The analysis of regional development and the formation of regional policy have experienced an increasing importance in Europe and in Sweden during the last decades. There is a widespread assumption that the increasing significance of regions is due to the diminishing role of the nationstate in the era of globalization. This essay suggests that there is a hegemonic discourse, heavily relying on the assumptions of New Regionalism, when addressing regional building. Sometimes described as an ideology, New Regionalism, which is derived from research of successful regions, is based on the assumption that regional competitiveness and autonomy creates economic growth. The Committee on Public Sector Responsibilities (Ansvarskommittén) suggests that Sweden requires new regional structure, due to the increasing expenditures facing the welfare state. The county councils in the Northern part of Sweden have recently applied to form a Region (regionkommun). The starting point of this essay is the hypothesis that peripheral municipalities, facing a decreasing population and low economic growth, have high expectations in the new Regions. The study is based on a number of interviews of politicians and official employees in Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik. The influence of the New Regionalism is examined in the two municipalities using discourse analysis. The result shows that the influence of New regionalism is not to be neglected.