English

Nordland Research Institute is a private non-profit research organisation, founded in 1979. We do research into the economic, public and social issues of contemporary society in addition to aquaculture. The institute is located in Bodø in Northern Norway, in close connection to the Bodø University College. The institute employs a staff of 40 and has a yearly income of approximately 3 750 000 euro. Our research activity is financed by regional, national and international contractors. Research results are published through research reports, papers, articles and lectures. Our research is organized in two:

Welfare, work and childhood
Major reforms in social policy have implemented during the last decades, and the institute has been assigned an important role in the evaluation of these reforms.  Our research in this field encompasses all levels of social policy:  the design of welfare state programs and reforms; the organisation and "welfare mix" in the delivery and distribution of services, and the adequacy and quality of support seen from the perspective of the individual recipient. Researchers are also carrying out research within organizational change, management of public services, the relation between employers and employees, empowerment and organizational development, changes in local government and local democracy, and how municipal services and local democracy are influenced by local decision-making. In addition the group are carrying out research on school and health reforms. Within these main fields of research we are carrying out theoretical and empirical analyses, evaluation of local decision-making, and organisational development. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is used in our research.

Entrepreneurship, innovation and regional development
Viewed from a socio-economic perspective, the focus is upon the evaluation and analysis of economic restructuring in regions that are heavily dependent upon primary resource industries. Of particular importance is the relationship between enterprises, and the impact such decisions have upon the economic development of regions. We also work with assessment and evaluation of policies for regional development and studies of the impact different public policy decisions have on processes of regional development. Research on innovation and entrepreneuship is done, and special attention is given to small and medium sized enterprises as well as the entrepreneurial process and different expressions of entreprenurship. We also study preconditions for enterprise growth and work with evaluation of public policies aimed at industry and business development. Also gender issues within economic activity have been highlighted. Additional areas of research have been towards the role of strategy and marketing within small and medium sized enterprises. Particular attention is being paid to the agriculture and aquaculture industries.