Denna studie grundas på en kvalitativ forskning i form av empiriskt material från litteratur och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Syftet med studien är att finna klarhet i hur samverkan sker och hur konkurrenssituationer uppstår mellan kommuner i ett regionförstoringsperspektiv. En samverkan kan många gånger uppfattas som komplex eftersom den innefattar ett stort antal aktörer från olika nivåer. Studien belyser även hur kommuner ständigt arbetar för att anses som attraktiva för såväl invånare som näringsliv. För en grundläggande förståelse i samverkan och konkurrenssituationer har en fördjupning gjorts i två centrala planeringsfrågor, infrastruktur och näringsliv. Resultat av studien pekar på att det i planeringsprocesser dels är komplext, och dels är många aspekter att ta hänsyn till. Trots det här finns det på kommunal nivå ett stort intresse i samverkan, då det både blir resurs- och kostnadseffektivt, samt ökar kommunens attraktivitet. Det kan vidare utläsas att konkurrens mellan kommuner upplevs som något positivt, då de sporrar varandra till ett effektivare arbete, och på så sätt ses det snarare som en rivalitet i deras arbete. Gällande infrastruktur är det vanligen frågan som kommuner väljer att samarbeta inom, samtidigt som det i näringslivsfrågor både finns samverkansfrågor och konkurrenssituationer.

In this thesis the relation between municipalities and regional unions is examined. The starting point for the research is the regional identity that is used in regions’ development planning. The approach and attitudes towards it from the municipal level towards the regional level are examined. Musings about the regional identity or brand platform as it is called in the regions development planning, and whether or how it is accepted in the municipalities are the starting point for this thesis. The research questions are: 1. How is the regional identity that is used by the regional planning document received and perceived on municipal level? 2. What is the approach due to? • How do the municipalities perceive their collaboration with the region in general? • Can the approach be linked to the circumstances in the municipalities? These questions are meant to help this research to reach its aim, which is to examine how municipalities are affected by and how they receive and approach the regional identity used in the regions’ development planning. The Swedish region Värmland is used as case in this work. To answer the research questions and to reach the aim, four interviews were implemented. Three of them were with representatives från three different municipalities, while the third was with a representative from the regional union. Additionally, an examination of some documents that are central for the research was conducted to complete the research. During the research, it was made clear that the municipalities’ general approach towards branding and towards the regional union itself was crucial for the research. Hence, these themes became especially important in the empirical part of this work. The research is built on hermeneutical tradition, with focus on interpreting on every level and every stage, and also the characteristically commuting movement between parts and the whole which came to pass throughout the research. In the analysis a plurality of different conclusions was reached. There are clear differences between the municipalities’ attitudes, especially in the question about branding there was different confidence in the regions’ plans. The municipalities had in common that all of them said that the regional branding wasn’t central in their daily work. The same also applied for the regional planning document and regional questions in general. The municipalities consider themselves not having enough time to approach these questions properly, instead they have ’reality’ on their hands which means they have to prioritize questions that need more urgent solving. The regions’ branding and the regional strategy generally is seen as fuzzy and impractical by the municipality politicians, at the same time they have great understanding for the regional union’s difficult job so they generally accept that a regional development plan has to be broad. The main problem that is identified in this thesis is that the municipalities have difficulties applying this broad document on their specific cases and the distance between them and the regional union (and help in other words) is too far and without any aids to bridge it. This became apparent in the empirical material which was collected both from the municipalities but also from the interview with the representative from the regional union.

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The first aim of this thesis is to descriptively identify and chart the activities of the strategic intelligence and environmental scanning that take place at the regional collaboration network Regionförbundet Örebro. This identification is essential in reaching the comprehensive and primary aim of the thesis: to discuss, through normative discourse, what the options of improvement are and in which ways systematic operations can be integrating parts in the organization. In order to offer guidance of development from the perspectives of environmental scanning, the question at issue has emanated from activities concerning the present methods of working at Regionförbundet Örebro.During the creation of this thesis, several interviews have been made with people who are regarded to be key roles within the regional collaboration network. An analysis has been made, based on governing documents and answers from the interviews, where possible improvements of the business have been identified. The inferences become parts of a greater potential of amelioration since they are presented as active solutions and proposals that can be directly adaptable to the organization.Our proposals of improvements/ameliorations are constituted by a number of concrete/explicit points such as: a wider public information supply and an introduction of several annual routines and methods.