How are the Nordic regions feeling? A comparisonof development potentials in the 66 Nordic regions

By synthesising individual components of a complex system, composite indicators are ideally used to compare regional performance and to initiate public debates. The Regional Potential Index (RPI) provides an index value for each administrative region of the Nordic Region to enable cross-regional comparison of development potential and to illustrate the regional balance. Data from nine selected socio-economic indicators concerning demography, the labour force and the economy was used to construct the RPI. This article hence aims to show how regional development potential looks in different parts of the Nordic Region and how the regional balance has developed over recent years. The results demonstrate a continued strong position of urban regions, while those administrative regions that have improved their ranking are mainly found in the rural parts of the Nordic Region. The large majority of the analysed regions increased their score between 2017 and 2019, which indicates diminishing differences between these administrative regions in terms of development potential and a positive development regarding the cohesion policy. Yet, it is important to note that the geography of an administrative region and the lack of reliable data on cross-border flows, qualitative dimensions, and carbon dioxide emissions influence the results in the ranking.