Full institutionalisation of regionalism in Denmark: From national governed over multi-level governed to regional-based governed regional policy

As an ism referring to “political movements which demand greater control over the affairs of the regional territory by the people residing in that territory” (Keating, 1997:5), regionalism has influenced policy makers on EU, national, and regional levels to denote regions the intrinsic role as crucibles of economic development and prime focus of economic policy (Salone, 2010: 1213; Webb & Collis, 2000:857). This endogenous growth-inspired connotation of regionalism as an [superior] answer toglobalisation appears to have driven the emergent movement of regionalism (Cooke & Morgan, 1998). Regionalism seemed to flourish throughout the 00’s because of the copious regional development agencies sat down throughout Europe. However, an increased scrutiny on regions to deliver noticeable growth from the EU and its member states has lately put pressure on regionalism. Apparently, one thing is to perceive regionalism as a national bulwark against the consequences of globalisation; another thing is to turn regionalism into institutional elements on regional level able to handle the challenges and opportunities that appears in the slipstream of a progressively globalised world. With point of departure in the concept of institutional competitiveness, which emphasise the role of institutions in keeping up national competiveness in a globalised world (Marcussen and Kaspersen, 2006), the following question arise: How to institutionalise regionalism to accommodate endogenous growth of a region? Whether subscribing on “old” or new regionalism, what seems to unite the various fields of regionalism is the current role of regions as contested spaces where economic, political and social actors attempt to institutionalise “their” vision of “their” region as the dominant form of territorial governance (Halkier, 2008: 2). This understanding of regionalism as a process of institutionalisation corresponds with Mansfield & Solingen’s definition on regionalism as a process of institution creation … marked by cooperation and policy coordination. Thus, regionalism is a process that engages actors (2010: 146-7). Inspired by the above, this paper applies the following definition: Regionalism is a process of institutionalisation that engages actors to create institutional elements, cooperate and coordinate policies on regional level. Based on this understanding of regionalism as an institutionalisation process, this paper answers the above question by differentiating between institutionalisation of regionalism and full institutionalisation of regionalism. Hence, the institutional elements of regionalism institutionalised are quite similar between regions, full institutionalisation of regionalism gives a competitive edge for a Region when taking on the opportunities offered and the challenges raised by globalisation to deliver endogenous growth of the region. For the institutionalisation process that de-institutionalised competing institutions and leads to full institutionalisation of regionalism in Denmark could be analysed, the case spans from nowadays regional policy to the beginning of regional policy in the 1930’s to uncover the development from national governed regional policy over multi-level governed regional policy to regional-based governed regional policy in Denmark. Along with national, regional and local documents being analysed, 23 qualitative interviews with regional and local actors have been conducted, transcribed and analysed.