• Livelihoods Connect
• What are livelihoods approaches?
  • What are livelihoods approaches?
  • Evolution
  • Livelihoods assets
  • Vulnerability context
  • Livelihood strategies
  • Policies, institutions and processes
  • Livelihood outcomes
  • Livelihood principles
  • Training and learning materials
• Themes
• Agriculture
  • Agriculture
  • Introduction
• Climate change adaptation
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Introduction
• Conflict and disasters
  • Conflict and disasters
  • Introduction
• Food security
  • Food security
  • Introduction
• Gender
  • Gender
  • Introduction
• Health
  • Health
  • Introduction
• ICT for development
  • ICT for development
  • Introduction
• Market development
  • Market development
  • Introduction
• Migration
  • Migration
  • Introduction
• Natural resource management
  • Natural resource management
  • Introduction
• Social protection
  • Social protection
  • Introduction
• Urban development
  • Urban development
  • Introduction
• Water and sanitation
  • Water and sanitation
  • Introduction
• Also in this guide
• Tools
• Livelihoods in DFID
• Jobs and events
• Contact Livelihoods Connect

Livelihoods Connect

This volume reports on the results of the project Challenges to insular income systems in the Nordic ountries. It focuses on the following six insular areas:

• Bornholm in Denmark 
• Eyjafjörður region in Iceland 
• Gotland in Sweden 
• Kainuu region in Finland
• Ulstein region in Norway
•  Åland

   

This report is divided into ten chapters. Following the introduction there is a theoretical chapter that provides a brief discussion of some of the key concepts underpinning the study. This chapter supplies some of the building blocks that both steer the focus of the case studies and the analysis of the empirical research. The following six chapters are the case study chapters that are organised in alphabetical order after the name of the region; Bornholm, Eyjafjörður, Gotland, Kainuu, Ulstein and ?nally Åland. The business start-up survey is reported in the penultimate chapter. The tenth and ?nal chapter of the report provides an analytical discussion of the studies of all six case study areas; including a comparison where some similarities and di?erences are highlighted and some ‘soft’ policy recommendations are made.

The soft policy recommendations can be catergorised into two types of policies: labour market policies and regional development policies, however, it is argues that these policies are interlocked. The national regional policies relate the establishment of higher education institutions in insular areas as the educational level of the population as a whole is comparatively low. This set also includes recommendations pertaining to the relocation of state agencies. Education policies deal with access to education, the provision of relevant education and training programmes and also funding systems. Initiatives that stimulate and develop partnerships and collaboration between different types of institutions are seen as important to both regional development and labour markets.

It is argued that collaboration is important with respect to entrepreneurship. Liaisons between key actors and agencies in the public sector and other key actors in the regional economy are highlighted. Investment in transport and communications in another point brought out in the regional development field. The penultimate recommendation refers to the ‘quality of life’ factors, which are argued to be an asset for insular areas. Factors such as access to nature, cultural and historical heritage and a calmer pace of life are stressed upon in the report. In conclusion the report states that it is vital to develop special measures for special areas keeping in mind their specific requirements.

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