This publication was prepared by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, led by Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director. It was produced as part of the programme of work of the of the Working Party on Rural Policy, within the Regional Development Policy Committee of the OECD.
The project and this report were co-ordinated by Stefano Barbieri, Senior Policy Analyst, under the supervision of José Enrique Garcilazo, Deputy Head of the Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division led by Dorothée Allain-Dupré.
The report was drafted by Stefano Barbieri, Michelle Marshalian (Policy Analyst), Felix Winkelmayer (Junior Policy Analyst) of the OECD Secretariat. The project also benefitted from valuable input from other OECD colleagues: Betty-Ann Bryce, Jenny Vyas, Selin Duran, Josephine Levedag, and Philip Chan.
We would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the following individuals for drafting thematic reports on specific topics: David Freshwater (Professor, University of Kentucky, USA), Jon Mikel Zabala (Professor, University of Deusto, Spain), Jose Guimon (Professor, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain), and Lars Coenen (Professor, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and University of Bergen, Norway), who each focused on demographic change, competitiveness, innovation, and the green transition, respectively. A special mention is due to Paolo Rosso (External Senior Policy Advisor), who played a key role in study missions, contributed to the drafting of regional reports, and authored the multi-level governance report. Their contributions were instrumental to the successful development of this project.
The project was Implemented by the OECD in co-operation with the European Commission Task Force for Reform and Investment (SG REFORM), with financial support from the EU Technical Support Instrument (TSI) and Norway’s Arctic 2030 grant scheme. The OECD would like to express its sincere gratitude to the members of SG REFORM who actively contributed to the project: Kjartan Björnsson (Head of the Governance and Public Administration Unit) and Thomas Giacoletto (Policy Officer).
We would like to extend our special thanks to Kari Aalto (Director East & North Finland EU Office), Nils Kristian Sørheim Nilsen (Director North Norway European Office), and to Mikael M Janson (Director North Sweden European Office) for their active co‑ordination of the project on behalf of the NSPA regions. We are also grateful to all the members of the NSPA regions’ local teams for their valuable contributions and feedback on the project and reports, including: Kimmo Niiranen and Eira Varis (North Karelia), Jouni Ponnikas and Katja Sukuvaara (Kainuu), Merja Olenius and Hanna Kautiainen (South Savo), Päivi Ekdahl (Lapland), Satu Vehreävesa and Heikki Sirviö (Pohjois-Savo), Leena Vilkuna and Teppo Rekilä (Central Ostrobothnia), Päivi Keisanen and Tiina Rajala (Oulu Region); Torbjørn Trane Jensen and Liss-Ane Simonsen (Nordland, Norway), Øystein Næss Andresen and Marthe Kristin Svensson (Troms, Norway), Gisle Holsbo Eriksen and Natalia Karlsen (Finnmark, Norway); Vera Persson Holm, Hannele Lanner and Maria Kumpula (Jämtland Härjedalen, Sweden), Per Erik Andersson and Carl Rova (Norrbotten, Sweden), Petter Lundberg (Västerbotten, Sweden) and Frida Bergman (Västernorrland, Sweden).
The OECD is also grateful to all stakeholders from the government and civil society, academia and business representatives of Finland, Norway and Sweden, who contributed to the project during in-site and virtual missions, workshops and meetings.
Our thanks also go to Jack Waters, who led the publication process and prepared the manuscript for publication.