ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the political entrepreneurs and their role in the process towards autonomy for the Nordic island regions. It shows that within the regional movements leading the process towards autonomy, there are political entrepreneurs who are willing to use their political status in order to reach the political goal they believe is the 'right' way for the region. The chapter discusses the different types of entrepreneurial skills needed in order to reach this goal. Political entrepreneurship (PE) in the chapter is treated as the independent variable explaining change, that is, island autonomy. Political entrepreneurs are individual actor, assigned leaders in this instance, and the chapter investigates the range of leadership and entrepreneurial qualities they exhibit. It discusses autonomy and islands, followed by a section on factors influencing the emergence of regional parties. The chapter then discusses political entrepreneurship before focusing on autonomy in the Nordic island environment.
