Debating regional policy in Finland

Professor John Bachtler was an invited speaker at the International Round Table on Regional Policy organised by the Finnish Government on 4 May 2011. The debate was part of a the major Finnish conference on regional development, 'JoukKOKOhtaus' held in Hameenlinna on 3-5 May, which brought together some 500 participants from national, regional and local authorities throughout Finland. The Conference was organised under the auspices of the Regional Cohesion and Competitiveness Programme (KOKO), which is the Finnish Government's special programme for regional policy for the period 2010:2013. An innovative part of the KOKO programme is intended to encourage networking among the regions through exchange of experience and peer review of development initiatives. John Bachtler's presentation discussed recent trends in regional development thinking across Europe, focusing on the re-assessment of policy objectives, the rescaling of territorial approaches to intervention and the challenges of coordination and accountability.