We research how Norwegian municipalities can function and develop in the best possible way. This involves a particular focus on mapping, analyzing, understanding, and further developing the municipalities’ role as community developers, service providers, and democratic arenas. Since its establishment, Telemark Research has been a leading actor in research on municipal and regional development.
Central to our research are questions related to municipal economy, governance, and financing of the municipal sector. After working closely with Norwegian municipalities for nearly 40 years, we have developed an in-depth theoretical and historical understanding of municipal governance, which we combine with deep insight into practical fields.
We also have national expertise in analyzing and understanding the connections between population development, business development, attractiveness, and place development. Such analyses are crucial for planning, facilitation, and development of municipal activities.
Our research also includes solutions for managing tasks and conducting innovation and development work both internally within organizations and in collaboration with other municipalities and actors.
Our important clients include municipalities, intermunicipal collaborations, county municipalities, state administrators, KS, directorates, ministries, and the Research Council of Norway.
Our environment has been represented in several national committees, including those on municipal structure, business development, and municipal economy.
Written by:Hanna Nyborg Storm
A central theme in many of our projects is how we can facilitate sustainable community development at the local and regional level. This is an issue that cuts across many of the topics we work with, such as regional analyses, community planning, innovation, and co-creation. The concept of broad value creation has also been central […]
Written by:Bent Aslak Brandtzæg
Telemarksforsking has for many years researched how municipalities work with innovation and development, which instruments are used, and what results are achieved. This includes work on benefits realization, dissemination, and implementation of innovations. In recent years, co-creation has been a recurring topic at municipal conferences and is mentioned in government white papers on the public […]
Written by:Bent Aslak Brandtzæg
In Norway, the smallest rural municipalities and the largest urban municipalities are part of the same generalist municipal system. Within this system, municipalities depend on cooperating with each other to fulfill their roles. We research how municipalities, both large and small, make this cooperation work optimally and how each municipality should organize itself to succeed […]
Written by:Kjetil Lie
Many municipalities face significant restructuring needs. Demographic changes, prospects of tighter municipal finances, and increased competition for labor are just some of the challenges contributing to this need. We produce knowledge that helps municipalities address these challenges through a wide range of projects for individual municipalities focusing on their economy and operations. These studies focus, […]
Written by:Bent Aslak Brandtzæg
Local democracy and governance are strong in Norwegian society. We research what can strengthen local democracy in Norwegian municipalities, and how it is affected by inter-municipal cooperation and municipal structural changes. In recent years, we have also researched other forms of governance, both multi-level and co-governance within the municipal sector, and between the municipal sector […]
Written by:Knut Vareide
Why do some places grow while others shrink? How has business development varied between different locations? What development can we expect going forward? In the regional analyses, we describe and analyze the development of an area with regard to important trends: jobs and employment, population and demographics, business development, and attractiveness. We attempt to describe […]
Written by:Trond Erik Lunder
Municipalities are local democratic units with self-government, but they are also implementers of national policy at the local level. We provide knowledge that helps the municipal sector achieve both national and local goals. National authorities have an overarching view of the sector and need knowledge that ensures the overall governance of the sector meets both […]
