Regional Reform in Norway: Larger Regions, but also Stronger Ones? What Can the Regional Authority Index and the Local Autonomy Index Tell Us about the Outcome?

Regional reform in Norway: Larger regions, but also stronger ones? What can the Regional Authority Index and the Local Autonomy Index tell us about the outcome? By professor emeritus Harald Baldersheim, University of Oslo The ongoing regional reform in Norway will result in larger regions. But will the new regions also be stronger institutions than they already are? The paper seeks to assess the outcome of the reform by applying the Regional Authority Index and the Local Autonomy Index to the changes already enacted and to those that have been proposed. So far, the results of the reform seem to fall behind the ambitions of the most ardent champions of the reform. However, in the comparative perspective offered by the RAI and the LAI the outcome may be less disappointing than suggested by a purely national perspective. The results will, furthermore, be discussed in light of features of the processes of decision-making and implementation, drawing on the theory of joint-decision traps developed by Fritz Scharpf. The analysis is also an opportunity to compare the performance of the RAI and the LAI in terms of bringing out and highlighting core issues of the regional reform as well as drawing attention to potential shortcomings of the reform.