For the first time in history, more people in the world live in urban areas than in rural areas. Almost half of this world urban population now live in metropolitan areas, which are becoming central spaces of world economic and social activity, and where major global challenges happen and should be tackled. Metropolitan areas are defined by urban spaces of integrated mobility flows and markets, but also by high institutional fragmentation and political decomposition. This fragmentation interferes in decision-making processes leading to difficulties for the design and implementation of adequate responses to metropolitan problems. In this context, the study of how metropolitan areas should be governed is gaining relevance in the field of urban studies, among other fields. The normative debates about metropolitan governance has been framed by three traditions. From the 60s to the late 80s these debates were restricted to the ‘old regionalism’ dialectics between the metropolitan reform and public choice scholars. More recently, new regionalism recognize in flexible and cooperative governance instruments the most effective way to deal with metropolitan problems. From this perspective metropolitan areas are governed by complex governance relations between diverse actors through multiple and concurrent instruments, in the form of policy networks, voluntary cooperation, strategic planning, and so on. The Öresund Region is a metropolis that spans from eastern Denmark to southern Sweden, and includes cities such as Copenhagen and Malmö. While it has been largely referenced and praised as an example of cross-border metropolitan area, there is little evidence on how it is governed or which are the main governance instruments or who are the actors involved in the policy-making process. Taking an original approach to the study of metropolitan governance, this paper represents a first attempt to identify and understand the main features of metropolitan governance in the Öresund Region as a system, in a polycentric and multilayered crossborder metropolis. The results suggest that metropolitan governance in the Öresund Region is very ambiguous, with several agents acting in different and non-coincident scales, strongly focused in hard policies and development policies in contrast to social and environmental policy areas. Also, there are persistent barriers to cross-border governance despite the favorable context. And finally, there is a relevant democratic governance deficit, in terms of social actors’ participation and involvement in the metropolitan decision-making process. These first results recommend to go forward with further research in this issue. Particularly to grasp about governance networks operatives, policy-making processes, and citizens’ political orientations to, ultimately, propose improvements for a more effective, comprehensive and democratic governance in the Öresund metropolitan region.

Arbetets syfte är att undersöka hur deltagande processer med inslag av teknologin Internet of Things (IoT) formar den samtida konsten. Detta genom en fallstudie av projektet Över sundet. Som metod används deltagande observationer och semi-strukturerade intervjuer, då författaren är en av projektets processledare och curators. Över sundet är ett samarbete mellan Helsingborgs stad, Helsingör kommun och två konstnärsgrupper. Tillsammans med städernas invånare ska konstnärerna skapa en ljusinstallation som använder sig av IoT. Med hjälp av teori angående etik, deltagande konst och pedagogik från Claire Bishop visar arbetets analys att projektets process är användbar och positiv men kan likväl gynna konstprojekt utan fokus på teknik. Arbetets analys använder sig också av Lev Manovichs begrepp ”culture interface” och drar slutsatsen att ljusinstallationen är en hybrid av kulturformer. En annan slutsats är att installationen formas av de datakällor som städernas invånare bidrar med. Utan invånarnas data och medskapande roll, berättar konstinstallationen inget narrativ.

Växthusgasutsläpp är den främsta bidragande faktorn till dagens klimatförändringar och byggsektorn bidrar med nästan en tredjedel av dem. Att reducera utsläppen för att uppnå klimatmålen om klimatneutralitet 2050 är en utmaning för miljölagstiftningen. En viss skillnad i tolkning av EU-lagstiftning uppstår när länder implementerar den i nationell lagstiftning, till följd av att de gett upp en del av sin suveränitet då de är skyldiga att följa dessa krav. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur stor skillnad i tolkning som uppstår i övergången mellan EU-miljölagstiftning och nationell miljölagstiftning, i relation till byggsektorn, i Sverige och Danmark. Utöver detta syftade studien även till att få en förståelse för hur stor samverkan är för att minska växthusgasutsläppen inom byggsektorn i Öresundsregionen. Metoden utgick från grundad teori och en innehållsanalys av lagstiftnings- samt företagsdokument utfördes för att undersöka den skillnad som uppstår i lagstiftningen. Resultatet visade att det fanns en skillnad i tolkning från EU-lagstiftning till respektive nationell nivå. Tolkningen tyder på faktorer som skillnader i kulturella värderingar och normer av natur och miljö, samarbetsnivåer och strategiska åtgärder för att klara klimatmålen. Vidare framkom det att genomförandestrategierna för att reducera växthusgasutsläppen inom Öresundsregionen var likartade. Slutligen visade resultatet att de viktigaste faktorerna att undersöka i förhållande till studiens syfte rör regionala samarbeten. / Greenhouse gas emissions are the main contributing factor to today’s climate change and the construction sector contributes to almost a third of them. Reducing emissions in order to achieve the climate goals regarding climate neutrality in 2050, is a challenge for environmental legislation. A certain difference in interpretation from EU legislation arises when member states implement it into national legislation, due to giving up a part of their sovereignty in order to comply with these requirements. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in interpretation that arises in the transition between EU environmental legislation and national environmental legislation, in relation to the construction sector, in Sweden and Denmark. In addition, the study aimed to gain an understanding of how collaborative the construction sector in the Øresund region is, when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The research method was based in grounded theory and a content analysis of legislative and corporate documents have been carried out to examine the difference in interpretation that arises in the legislation. The results showed that there was a difference in interpretation from EU legislation to each national legislation. The difference in interpretation signifies factors such as differences in cultural values and norms regarding nature and the environment, levels of cooperation and strategic measures to meet the climate goals. Furthermore, the results regarding the implementation strategies in order to reduce greenhouse gas emission in the Øresund region were similar. Finally, the result showed that the most important factors to examine in relation to the research question relates to collaboration within regions.

The key question of this essay concerns the outcome of Sweden’s latest election. When all the votes where counted, the county of Skåne showed an exceptionally high support for the right wing nationalist party Sverigedemokraterna. Why then, did Sverigedemokraterna have a higher support among voters in Skåne (as part of the larger and transnational Öresund region), than among other Swedish voters? My hypothesis is the following: the regional interaction within Öresund has not only had positive effects concerning the values that the people of Skåne hold. In other words, Danish experience has changed the way in which the people of Skåne view immigrants and radical right wing parties. Before I go on any further I will explain what is meant by the Öresund region. This region encompasses both parts of Sweden and Denmark (most notably Skåne and Själland), and the interaction between the two countries have increased considerably since a physical bridge between the two border regions was opened in July 2000. Now, let us go on to the purpose of this essay, which is to answer the key question, and also to determine if the regional cooperation in the Öresund region has led to changes in the way the people of Skåne view right wing nationalist parties. Therefore, I explored the effects of the interaction between the Swedish region Skåne and the Danish region Själland, in order to discern if the Danes negative views towards immigrants and their strong feelings of nationalism, have effected Swedes and their values. In other words, was it possible that the Danish hostility towards immigrants and their unproblematic view of right wing nationalist parties, had been transmitted to the people of Skåne? Last but not least, it has also been the purpose of this essay to prove that traditional variables, concerning the question of why people vote for right wing nationalist parties, do no longer explain this phenomenon. By traditional variables I mean unemployment and a high density of immigrants of the population in a specific area. In order to research the above mentioned issues, I have gone through letters to the editor, sent to the newspaper Sydsvenskan, and analysed the material using qualitative text analysis. I have also studied literature within the field of cross-border studies. After ten weeks of research, I came to the conclusion that the traditional variables do not explain why Sverigedemokraterna received such a high proportion of the votes in Skåne. However, this essay also sheds light on the possibility of Danish experience as a plausible variable when it comes to explaining the outcome of the last election, but based on my limited study I can neither confirm nor dismiss the hypothesis. However, my study does provide some evidence that supports the hypothesis. In order to draw any conclusions however, it would have to be broadened in itself and replicated in other sections of Sweden or nationally. The results of my study might leave the key question unanswered, but in itself can be viewed as an important step towards obtaining a clearer overview of what has driven the increased vote share for Sverigedemokraterna.

This study focuses on the reformation of the cross-border political coalition in the Scandinavian region of Öresund, specifically the re-organization of Öresundskommitteen to Greater Copenhagen & Skåne Committee. Through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis, the study critically examines the newly advocated regional strategy focusing on international place marketing of the collective brand Greater Copenhagen, underlying power structures and incentives of the reformation as well as the subsequent consequences for the regional development. The result highlights a political shift of focus, from the region in general to Copenhagen in particular, justified by the conviction of growing international competition and the regional core as undisputable ‘growth-machine’ for the whole region. Consequently, local projects can be legitimized as regional concerns, potentially supporting misallocation of regional funds, political and core-periphery polarization.

Abstract Station-nearness principles as we will discuss in this paper, deals with the coordination of urban functions with the public transportation network. When we talk about functions, we mean residences, workplaces, commercial services, entertainment venues, places of culture, etc. These functions should be high density, there should be a mix of them and they should be pedestrian friendly in nature. Effective integration of functions around train stations brings many benefits and is one of the best means by which you can increase public transport use and increase the accessibility for people in a region. More and more, cities in North America, Europe and other places, are exploring the idea of how this concept can be applied. The Copenhagen region as we will discuss, has placed station-nearness principles at the forefront of their finger plan. Since the Copenhagen region has applied these principles, they have seen clear results with increased public transit ridership, as well on the overall, an increase in the standard of living. As many places are exploring the concept, not everyplace has been able to make the concept work. When we look at Scania, the concept is under utilized to a degree. There continues to be many populated and dense areas in Scania where the coordination of urban functions with public transit is lacking. The automobile is also gaining stronger competition over public transportation; this is a concern in terms of the sustainable future and quality of life for the region. It is not always the solution to simply expand the public transportation network, rather it can be significant to explore more upon the concept of station-nearness principles so that the existing public transit network can be made more effective. It is important to compare places, see in our case study how the concept has worked in the Copenhagen region and look into why the concept is lacking in Scania, as well, what can be done to implement it more in Scania. It is also important how the Öresund region as whole, can play a role with developing the concept, as well, how the concept can benefit the Öresund region vice versa.

The purpose of this study is to investigate one of the European Structural Fundprogrammes, Interreg V Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak (ÖKS) and the priority areaTransportation. The programme gives financial support to transportation projectsaiming to develop sustainable (environmentally friendly) transportation alternativesand solutions. Through studies and theories on cross-border collaboration (CBC) and goals forsustainable transportation a major need of joint strategies for solving shared problems,such as environmental concerns has been demonstrated. This approach ofcollaboration projects as a pillar for sustainable development has been the foundationof how the current Interreg programme has been studied and the starting point for thisresearch. The study aims to clarify the relationship between the overall view uponcooperation and joint development programmes (within areas stretching over nationaland administrative borders, such as transportation) and the specific Interregprogramme. A programme which during current period (2014-2020) experienced adrastic decline of number of applicants. In order to further understand the context thecurrent study has trough empirical research defined added values (advantages) of theCBC but also identified the perceived difficulties and barriers (disadvantages). Thefounding’s have further been compared and supplemented with perspectives fromrelevant actors engaged in transportation development. This material has beencollected through qualitative interviews enabling a vital and good understanding ofconcerned actors and their view of advantages and disadvantages with CBC. Theanalysis has also enabled the conclusion that the general view among the actors is thatcollaboration projects are necessary for a sustainable development. However, studiedprogramme with declined number of applicants did not succeed in attracting desiredparticipants. Consequently, the actors were also asked to share their view upon thedecline of applicants for current Interreg period. One identified explanation wasrelated to the administrative burden which was perceived too heavy by the actors. Inaddition, the financial part was perceived to be too low or poorly designed. Theknowledge about the programme was also found to be limited among some of theactors. To be able to involve more participants in the future it has been concluded thatimprovements within the three areas of defined obstacles have to be implemented. This investigation and findings aim to contribute to increased insights andunderstanding of the cross-border cooperation process in order to be able to reach andinvolve relevant actors in the most favourable way for successful future projects anddesired sustainable development.

Todays’ organizations are facing low levels of employee engagement, with a tendency to decrease evenfurther. Sustainability has been found to positively affect employee engagement as it providesemployees with a higher purpose in their work. Therefore, this research study reveals leaders’perception on the contribution of sustainability towards employee engagement, with a focus onmultinational organizations in the Öresund region. This qualitative study combines Herzberg´s “Two-Factor Theory” and transformational leadership to analyze the research findings with a theoreticalframework. The results display that sustainability has a significant influence on the level of employeeengagement and various activities of organizations and leaders contribute towards this. The researchalso underlines that there is a potential for organizations to implement further strategies in this regardand thereby not only strengthen the satisfaction and loyalty of their current workforce, but also gain acompetitive advantage in the future for attracting new talents.