Municipal and regional development

Research on municipal and regional development and innovation has been central to Telemark Research Institute since the institute was established. Our primary goal and focus is to analyse, understand and further develop the municipality's role as both a local community developer and provider of public services and democratic arena. In addition to having national expertise in several areas, we are concerned with what aspects such as population growth and business development mean for public planning and the development of municipal services and activities. This includes working with solutions for how the municipalities can handle their responsibilities in the future, but also work with development and innovation, whether alone, through inter-municipal cooperation and through cooperation with other local or regional actors. A theme that permeates our research is how societal changes, and changes in municipal organization, task management and the need for resources, affect democratic participation and influence.