OECD Territorial Reviews: Sweden 2017
Monitoring Progress in Multi-level Governance and Rural Policy
Sweden has long given priority to promoting both sustainable economic growth in its regions and equity among them. This report looks at the progress Sweden has made in its regional growth policy, multi-level governance system and rural policy. It also takes a more in-depth look at two topics of increasing importance: whether rural Sweden has been “left behind”, and issues of regional and municipal governance. The report suggests steps Sweden can take to address its regional and rural policy challenges. It also assesses to what degree Sweden has implemented the recommendations made in the 2010 OECD Territorial Review of Sweden.
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Improving rural policy development in Sweden
The purpose of this chapter is to provide recommendations about how to improve Sweden’s rural policy framework. The chapter begins with an analysis of rural definitions in Sweden and, drawing on the OECD typology, suggests a way forward for applying a commonly agreed definition for rural policy decision making. The second part of the chapter assesses the growth of Sweden’s rural regions, and in particular the role of the tradeable sector in influencing growth performance. The third part of the chapter examines the key elements of a new rural policy for Sweden and how to improve the governance of rural and regional policies. The final section of the chapter suggests some principles and directions for future rural policy development in Sweden.