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.
Research topics
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Innovation and co-creation
We cannot solve today's problems with yesterday's solutions. The growing focus on public innovation is due to the fact that governments are facing increasing challenges in…
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Intermunicipal cooperation and municipal structure
Telemark Research Institute has carried out both regional and national studies, surveys and evaluations of a wide range of inter-municipal forms of cooperation. Important…
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Research assistance for the experience industries
Telemark Research Institute helps companies in Vestfold, Telemark and Viken Counties that need new knowledge and expertise to move forward with a development project.…
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Local Democracy and Government
Democracy and governance at the local and regional governmental level has been a central theme in several of our projects on inter-municipal cooperation and…
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Regional analyses and attractiveness
Why do some places grow while others shrink? How has business development varied between different places? What development can we expect in the future?…
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Trust surveys for municipalities
Our trust surveys provide knowledge about the level of trust important development actors have in each other in your municipality or region. Trust and…