Taming wickedness: industrial megaprojects and local governance strategies

Abstract

Theoretical literature suggests that the complex problems many local governments are facing are drivers towards innovation and new types of collaborative governance arrangements. We add nuance to this presumption by exploring how two Norwegian municipalities act when faced with problems related to mineral extraction and tax revenue. The article shows that similar types of problems give rise to significantly different strategies, ranging from collaborative arrangements to authoritative and competitive strategies. In conclusion, the article argues that local governments need to develop a higher innovative preparedness, and that scholars should also be attentive to governance strategies that are not collaborative.

Keywords:

• innovation
• wicked problems
• collaborative governance
• local development
• local government

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. ‘Municipalities in the Arctic II’ (MunArc II). MunArc II involves comparative case study of Norwegian and Swedish municipalities, investigating their role in large-scale industrial projects in the High North.