Municipalities and communities enabling social innovations in peripheral areas – case studies from Ostrobothnia, Finland

Figures & data

Table 1. Resources and roles (actors) across the phases of social innovation processes according to literature.

Phases of SI	Resources needed in the phase	Potential role of the municipality and added resources
Initiation	Capability to identify and formulate the social need(s) Ideas to use the spatially embedded resources	Initiator: sector expertise aid in finding opportunities and ideas for development, and formulating needs
Formation of local network and acquiring local resources for SI	Nature, infrastructure, local knowledge, skills, voluntary work, funding, social capital (bonding and binding), sense of place Capability to promote network building	Connector: local knowledge is used to identify potential partners and where to find resources Promoter: social capital, legitimacy, and personnel resources are used to arrange dialogues Facilitator: expertise for training SIs, meeting places for SI actors
Connecting to regional, national, and international actors	Extra-local knowledge and partners Other extra-local resources Social capital (linking)	Connector: sector expertise, social capital, legitimacy, and personnel resources aid in finding extra-local partners with required expertise and resources
Securing the future	Accommodation of results Funding	Promoter: using expertise and local knowledge to plan how results are used in the future Make use of results within municipal duties

Table 2. Process description of six Leader projects in Ostrobothnia.

Phases	Oravais Battlefield	Malax Ice Rink
Initiation	First initiative by municipality, later NGO.	Municipality denied financing which spurred the NGO to act.
Creation of network (promotion)	Network of NGOs and entrepreneurs resolving around the story of the battle of 1808.	A joint-stock company was formed, and fund-raising directed to locals, engaging neighbouring NGOs and communities.
External collaborators (resources, knowledge)	Knowledge acquired from national, and international war history communities, as well as the University of Applied Sciences.	The hockey arena attracted engagement of a wider regional and even national hockey community.
Self-reinforcing development (secure future)	The activities have created a network of actors which continue to develop the site.	The large engagement secures the maintenance and continuous development of the arena.
Phases	Red Gold Region	Minnovation
Initiation	The idea originated from the local development agency.	The idea originated from the local university unit Novia.
Creation of network (promotion)	The project cooperated with local restaurants and arranged workshops with local communities to explore local resources. The project failed to establish the network.	The project established cooperation with schools but failed to find real engagement in the companies. Instead, it contributed to municipal planning.
External collaborators (resources, knowledge)	The project did not establish connections to external knowledge sources.	The project did not establish connections to external knowledge sources.
Self-reinforcing development (secure future)	The project failed in establishing the new brand in the greenhouse industry and other actors in the region.	The project developed a tool for organizations in the region, but no strategy was made for its future use.
Phases	The Birch and the Star	Old Harbour
Initiation	Initiated by individuals in the local community, who brought the idea to the municipality.	The initiative originated from a local NGO.
Creation of network (promotion)	Project activities targeted village communities and entrepreneurs directly.	A new NGO was founded, and joint efforts were established, where the municipality found local partners to work with. The NGO invited the local university unit to plan the project.
External collaborators (resources, knowledge)	External actors were engaged, such as a society for the study of Finnish-Swedish culture, and an educational institute, which contributed with expertise in place branding.	The project collaborated with designers, writers, and media producers to develop logos, visitor maps, and a common web page
Self-reinforcing development (secure future)	The potential as a tourist destination was discovered. Shared values connected villages, entrepreneurs, and the municipality, which enables future activities.	The project connected actors and sparked engagement, enabling continuous development of the area. Connections to politicians secured the municipal engagement for the future.

Table 3. The specified roles of municipalities in SI processes and the resources municipalities may contribute across the phases.

	Initiation	Creation of network (promotion)	External collaborators (resources, knowledge)	Self-reinforcing development (secure future)
Surveyor of opportunities	Expertise Local knowledge Knowledge of funding opportunities
The promoter of projects		Expertise Legitimacy Trust Social capital (bridging) Local knowledge Staff working time	Expertise Legitimacy Trust Social capital (linking) Staff working time
Securing future of the results				Financial support Legitimacy Staff working time

Table 4. The relationships in the SI process of the cases.

Type 1: Municipalities and communities working together
Project	The Birch and Star	Old Harbour
Main actors	Community, municipality	New NGO, joint effort
Tasks of the municipality	Owner of the project due to self-financing Consultative role, discussion in municipal council	Municipal officials active in workshops Spatial planning expertise
Factors promoting municipality’s role	Financial resources, decision-making, access to expertise	The leader of the NGO a member of municipal council Idea fitted into municipal agenda and previous planning
Factors preventing/weakening role of municipality	Bureaucratic structure, too slow progress	No preventing factor
Impact	Emerging place branding, local identity	Municipal planning used the outcome, new local network
Coordination mechanism alignment	Strong alignment between municipality and community	Strong alignment between municipality and community
Type 2: Autonomous communities
Project	Oravais Battlefield	Malax Ice Rink
Main actors	NGO	Community, NGO, joint stock company
Tasks of the municipality	Annual grants to the NGO, takes care of the monument	Purchases ice time for schools and public
Factors promoting municipality’s role	Weak role	No role
Factors preventing/weakening role of municipality	Bureaucratic structure, too slow progress Enlargements of municipality weaken the interest in local opportunities	Political opposition from other municipal districts to the initiative
Impact	Place is well-known, network of entrepreneurs and wider military-history community	Growing local identity, network of local NGO, local community, and wider hockey community
Coordination mechanism alignment	Weak integration between municipality and community	Weak alignment between municipality and community
Type 3: Delegation of activity
Project	Red Gold Region	Minnovation
Main actors	Business development centre	University and municipality
Tasks of the municipality	Delegation of tasks	Teachers in the project
Factors promoting municipality’s role	Delegation of tasks	No factors promoting
Factors preventing/weakening role of municipality	Dependent on individuals, locked in one sector	Possibly locked in one sector, dependent on individuals, no ownership of model
Impact	Weak relationships	Municipality did not accommodate the model
Coordination mechanism alignment	Attempt of hierarchy	Attempt of hierarchy

Table 5. The specified roles of municipalities in SI, with attributes and required resources.

Role	Attributes	Resources	Consistency between municipal coordination and community
The surveyor of opportunities	Finding opportunities for new relationships	Knowledge of local conditions and partners Knowledge of extra-local networks Knowledge of funding opportunities	Use existing resources Discover new opportunities which are consistent with existing objectives and priorities
The promoter of projects	Developing relationships Combining resources	Expertise Legitimacy Trust Social capital Local knowledge Staff working time	Social capital and voluntary labour provided by communities
Securing the future	Maintaining networks and relationships	Knowledge (local and extra-local) Legitimacy Long-term thinking The positive outcome of a SI process	Build on an institutionalized success story

Table

The Birch and the Star in Nykarleby (https://www.nykarleby.fi/topelius/home) Time period: 2017–2018
Local community (initiation)	The project raised awareness of the heritage of the celebrated Finnish nineteenth century author Zacharias Topelius, writer of the children's tale The Birch and the Star and born in the small town of Nykarleby. The project was initiated by individuals in the local community, who brought the idea to the municipality. The municipality initiated a jubilee working group, which had a consultative role throughout the project. The municipality ended up as the owner of the project, largely due to the self-financing obligation. The municipality as a project owner means access to different kinds of expertise, such as accounting, and the arrangement gave stability and security.
Creation of network (promotion)	The project leader saw that the place branding activity must be based on the people and in cooperation with entrepreneurs, rather than be based in the municipal administration. The project activities accordingly targeted village communities and entrepreneurs directly. The project thereby was able to tap into a largely hidden local engagement in Topelius.
External collaborators (resources, knowledge)	The project leader had trust in the municipal officials but found that the progress is too slow if the project relies on the timetable of the officials and the bureaucratic structures. Municipal officials were mostly not available/busy. Still the municipality had a consultative role in including external actors, such as the Svenska litteratursällskapet, a society for the study of Finnish-Swedish culture, and the educational institute Novia, which contributed with expertise in place branding.
Self-reinforcing development (secure future)	The potential as a tourist destination was discovered. Shared values connected villages, entrepreneurs, and the municipality. Local associations have experienced the local administration to be more contact seeking after the project. The project and the jubilee year raised attention also externally.
Old Harbour in Jakobstad (https://www.gamla-hamn.fi) Time period: 2017–2019
Local community (initiation)	The project raised visibility of the heritage of Jakobstad as a harbour and shipbuilding town. The old harbour area is today an area mostly for leisure, with a beach, traditional boathouses, and some small-scale shipbuilding. The initiative came from a local association, the Vega foundation, which is focused on preserving a schooner located in the area.
Creation of network (promotion)	The first focus of the project was to build the network between the local actors, including firms, civic organizations, municipality representatives, and citizens. The result was the foundation of a new association for the development of the old harbour area. The municipality participated actively in the arranged workshops. Municipal planning benefitted from the project. The project offered dialogue forums and other activities that the municipality could use for the further planning of the area. Old municipal plans to develop the area could now also be realized. The project established joint efforts where the municipality found local partners to work with.
External collaborators (resources, knowledge)	The Vega Foundation invited Centria University of Applied Sciences to plan the project and funding was received from the LEADER programme. The place-building activities of the project were largely driven by the association through the organization of events. This responded to a demand to develop both leisure activities and tourism. The project collaborated with designers, writers, and media producers to develop logos, visitor maps, and a common web page. This all found support in the municipal strategies and plans for the development of the area.
Self-reinforcing development (secure future)	The project was able to connect actors and spark engagement which gives possibilities for a continuous development of the area. The municipality had a central role in giving structure to these efforts. The leader at the Vega foundation is also a member of the municipal council and presented a bill to establish a working group for the area to continue the work the project initiated.
Oravais battlefield (http://www.oravais1808.fi) Time period: Multiple LEADER projects 1995 – to date
Local community (initiation)	The historically significant battle between Sweden and Russia in Oravais in 1808, when Sweden and Finland ended up as two separate countries, was until the 1990s an unexploited site. The activity in the area started from an initiative taken by the municipality. At that time, in the 1990s, the place was an undeveloped camping area. The municipality wanted arrangements that could benefit from the historical significance of the place and thereby attract tourists. This led to the founding of the Oravais Historical Association, with the association Ostrobothnian Regiment as a cornerstone.
Creation of network (promotion)	The network revolves around sharing the story of the battle of 1808. Several consecutive LEADER projects, with the Historical association as the leading part, has step by step constructed a site with historical buildings and accessories, a museum, a restaurant serving historical dishes, large occasional dramatizations of the battle and other events and activities for visitors. The key actors are the two associations and a restaurant owner, and more entrepreneurs are getting involved in order to be able to offer more experiences and services.
External collaborators (resources, knowledge)	The Historical association has made use of knowledge from local, national, and international war history communities. To develop historical menus, the association reached out to the University of Applied Sciences in Vaasa where chefs are trained. A student at the university later became entrepreneur, starting the restaurant at the site.
Self-reinforcing development (secure future)	The activities have created a network of actors which continue to develop the site. Still, the association is dependent on funding for project activities. The association receives small annual grants from the municipality. The municipality has also aided the arrangement of marketing efforts and other consulting. The project leader suggests that municipal mergers have weakened the municipal interest for the development of the area.
The Red Gold Region (https://www.dynamonarpes.fi/sv/en-smakstart-röda-guldets-region) Time period: 2016–2018
Local community (initiation)	The town of Närpes is famous for its greenhouse industry, which supplies Finland with the vast majority of tomatoes consumed. The project aimed at creating a gastronomical region on this basis, where this largely Fordist industry could evolve to develop new products and services. The idea originated from the local development agency, owned by the municipality, and involved restaurants, local small scale food processing firms and local communities.
Creation of network (promotion)	The project developed a concept called ‘lunch weeks’ together with the restaurants, where the new brand was promoted. The project also arranged workshops with local communities to explore local resources, promote the brand and find possible actors to develop the brand further with. However, the project was not able to establish a network connecting different actors, and the greenhouse industry was not involved directly.
External collaborators (resources, knowledge)	The project did not attempt connections to external knowledge sources such as advanced knowledge-based food production, which could have helped in establishing connections also to the greenhouse industry.
Self-reinforcing development (secure future)	The project experienced recurring replacements of project leaders, which fragmented the efforts. After the project, the business development centre engaged producers to jointly construct a small green house for display on the centre square of the town. In essence, the project did not succeed in establishing the new brand in the greenhouse industry and other actors in the region.
Malax ice rink (http://www.targahallen.fi) Time period: 2015–2016
Local community (initiation)	In the rural municipality of Malax, the locals have wanted an indoor ice rink for decades. At one point, a few years before the start of the project, the issue was discussed in the municipal council but was voted down. Afterwards, a group of people with connections to the local ice hockey club started to investigate the possibilities for constructing the ice hockey arena with private resources. A joint-stock company was formed, and a fund-raising effort directed to locals was conducted. The municipality had no part in the effort, except backing a bank loan for half the construction cost.
Creation of network (promotion)	The ice hockey arena project tapped into a large local and sub-regional demand for such activities. The engagement started from the hockey club, and through the fund-raising effort, then by an extensive effort of voluntary workers in the construction of the arena. The involvement grew within the community and also to neighbouring communities. 1130 private donors and thousands of voluntary working hours are evidence of strong local engagement. The hockey club enlarged its number of members from dozens to several hundreds.
External collaborators (knowledge resources)	The project received state funding (The Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland, ARA), and separate funding for dressing rooms from the LEADER programme. The hockey arena has attracted engagement of a wider regional and even national hockey community. External hockey clubs purchases practice time and regional tournaments are arranged there.
Self-reinforcing development (secure future)	The large local and regional interest secures the maintenance and continuous development of the arena. The arena is built in the vicinity of other sport facilities, which increases the general attraction of the area. Maintenance costs are covered by incomes for purchased ice time and sponsors. The municipality does not provide any funding for continuing costs but has signed a 10-year deal to purchase ice time for the public and school pupils.
Minnovation https://www.novia.fi/forskning/alla-projekt-pa-novia/konst-kultur-och-entreprenorskap/minnovation-lab Time period: 2016–2018
Local community (initiation)	The idea of the project was to make use of the creativity of children to solve problems and come up with ideas. The idea originated from Novia University of Applied Sciences, who wrote a project plan with the aim of developing a model for allowing children to solve company problems. A ‘lab’ was setup at one of the elementary schools in the municipality of Jakobstad, where children would then be presented to the problems companies wanted help with. The project also addressed and benefitted from the new school curriculum presented nationally at this time, which included stimulating children’s creativity and entrepreneurship skills.
Creation of network (promotion)	The project was run by Novia and teachers in Jakobstad. The project produced a model for idea generation and involved children through a cooperation with schools. Ten firms were engaged, for the most part found based on the project leaders’ personal social networks, and accordingly, all firms except one was local. The municipality was only indirectly involved through the schools and the network did not involve for instance larger business communities or local communities.
External collaborators (knowledge resources)	The project experienced difficulties of finding real engagement in the companies, especially since they generally found it difficult to identify problems that the children could work with. The model instead found use in contributing to the Old Harbour project, by engaging children in the planning of the old harbour area.
Self-reinforcing loops (secure future)	The project suffered from several replacements of project leaders, both at Novia and at the schools. One of the project leaders saw negative consequences of this since many subprojects ‘came to nothing’. The project was not able to establish the model as a tool for organizations in the region to use. Novia produced the model, but no strategy was made for its future use. The municipality had no further engagement than through the elementary schools.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.