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Kommunen som utvecklingsaktör : regional utveckling och agency - en fallstudie av etableringen av Northvolt Ett i Skellefteå

Schager, Jacob LU (2020) SGEL36 20201
Department of Human Geography
Abstract
In times where regional development is driven by creative and knowledge-intensive industries, peripheral municipalities in Northern Sweden such as Skellefteå struggle to find their place in time. In 2017 Northvolt decided to place Europe’s largest battery manufacturing plant in Skellefteå, showcasing a growing demand for resources found in the region. This case study is an attempt to analyze how the opportunity was exploited by Skellefteå municipality and the implications it could have on regional development policy for Sweden's peripheral municipalities. To portray the event in an analyzable manner, an emerging concept in human geography - opportunity space - is operationalized. The theoretical framework is based on agency and... (More)
In times where regional development is driven by creative and knowledge-intensive industries, peripheral municipalities in Northern Sweden such as Skellefteå struggle to find their place in time. In 2017 Northvolt decided to place Europe’s largest battery manufacturing plant in Skellefteå, showcasing a growing demand for resources found in the region. This case study is an attempt to analyze how the opportunity was exploited by Skellefteå municipality and the implications it could have on regional development policy for Sweden's peripheral municipalities. To portray the event in an analyzable manner, an emerging concept in human geography - opportunity space - is operationalized. The theoretical framework is based on agency and evolutionary economic geography, taking on a relational perspective on place and actor in the pursuit of regional development. Through descriptive statistics of Skellefteå's industrial structure, the regional prerequisites are analyzed and understood with an historical perspective. Through content analysis, the municipality's knowledge regarding the green industry and its emerging opportunities for the region was analyzed. Lastly, a semi-structured interview was conducted. This was done to extract detailed information, with the goal of identifying which factors enabled the municipality’s agency. The results show that Skellefteå municipality constructed and positioned themselves in an opportunity space, thus making the plant a reality. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Schager, Jacob LU
supervisor
organization
course
SGEL36 20201
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Skellefteå municipality, regional development, peripheral municipalities, opportunity space, policy making
language
Swedish
id
9011178
date added to LUP
2020-06-05 13:09:00
date last changed
2020-06-05 13:09:00
@misc{9011178,
  abstract     = {{In times where regional development is driven by creative and knowledge-intensive industries, peripheral municipalities in Northern Sweden such as Skellefteå struggle to find their place in time. In 2017 Northvolt decided to place Europe’s largest battery manufacturing plant in Skellefteå, showcasing a growing demand for resources found in the region. This case study is an attempt to analyze how the opportunity was exploited by Skellefteå municipality and the implications it could have on regional development policy for Sweden's peripheral municipalities. To portray the event in an analyzable manner, an emerging concept in human geography - opportunity space - is operationalized. The theoretical framework is based on agency and evolutionary economic geography, taking on a relational perspective on place and actor in the pursuit of regional development. Through descriptive statistics of Skellefteå's industrial structure, the regional prerequisites are analyzed and understood with an historical perspective. Through content analysis, the municipality's knowledge regarding the green industry and its emerging opportunities for the region was analyzed. Lastly, a semi-structured interview was conducted. This was done to extract detailed information, with the goal of identifying which factors enabled the municipality’s agency. The results show that Skellefteå municipality constructed and positioned themselves in an opportunity space, thus making the plant a reality.}},
  author       = {{Schager, Jacob}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Kommunen som utvecklingsaktör : regional utveckling och agency - en fallstudie av etableringen av Northvolt Ett i Skellefteå}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}