Regionbildning : En institutionell studie av Region Skåne, Västra Götalandsregionen, och "Region Svealand"

Sammanfattning: Based on the concept of path-dependence, this thesis examines regional representatives’ notion of rationalizations in three Swedish regions. In the provinces of Skåne and Västra Götaland the responsibility for welfare issues like health care, regional development, communications, and culture, is appointed to the two organizations Region Skåne and Västra Götalandsregionen. Both organizations are results of merger processes between old organizations called landsting, with a smaller geographical scale and less responsibility. In Svealand three landsting formally have applied for a similar fusion like the ones in Skåne and in Västra Götaland. The idea behind these fusions is that rationalizations in the field of welfare, are achieved by changing the scale of production, from lesser to larger units. This thesis shows that the perceived effect of rationalization by fusion, can take time. Old norms, values, and cultures that emanate from the landsting are for example conceived by the regional representatives in Västra Götaland and in Svealand, to prevent what kind of rationalizations the organizations are able to accomplish. In Skåne, on the contrary, the notion that the regional organization has overcome its historically defined problems, dominate. In that sense, Västra Götalandregionen and the region-building process in Svealand are path-dependent. But Region Skåne, on the other hand, has overcome its historical institutional legacy. This thesis highlights the importance of examining organization histories to be able to understand why certain decisions are hard to make, and why institutions evolve or not. This is also important to acknowledge when the regions’ representatives try to construct regions. From this perspective, the thesis tries to clarify how people’s expectations can delay what kind of rationalizations an organization can implement and how these expectations seem to legitimize what decisions the organization are able to take. The thesis also tries to clarify one way of using the concept of “path-dependence” in academic studies by the usage of ideal types.