Spatial Policy for Sparsely Populated Areas: A Forlorn Hope? Swedish Experiences

The regional policy in Sweden is usually divided in two parts. The specific regional policy comprises the responsible national ministry’s means for regional development whereas the broad regional policy includes other policy areas with an important geographical dimension, e.g. education, infrastructure and subsidies to local and regional public sector bodies to equalise public service capacity all over the country. The specific Swedish regional policy was introduced in 1965 as a means to solve certain contradictory demands: on one hand enterprises’ demand for labour and on the other the growing problems of depopulation of the sparsely populated areas, mainly in Norrland, the five northernmost counties of Sweden. A broad regional policy has in a sense always existed, but it was not until the introduction of the specific regional policy in 1965 that the regional dimensions of other policy areas were more systematically recognised and became objects of regional policy considerations.