ABSTRACT
This book explores the preconditions for, and suggests methods for promoting, transnational learning in regional development. The case studies illustrating these methods, carried out in the Nordic periphery and elsewhere, have been collected from three different fields: industrial development, experience economy services, and municipal organization. Generally, regions and localities all over the world face similar concerns regarding securing and improving the livelihoods, prosperity and wellbeing of their inhabitants. However, the way these concerns are addressed is mediated differently depending on each individual context. Since both the contexts and local responses vary, the result is a diversity of local and regional development processes. However, if the idea that everything is different is simply accepted as it is, this also implies that we consider there being little explanatory value in the experiences of others. And if so, lessons cannot be learned and strategies and policies cannot be developed by monitoring others. We prefer a middle way, where the variety of contexts matters, but where learning from others is also possible. Accordingly, this book suggests a set of methods which can be used to overcome the problems of generalization mentioned above.
