Governance of Critical Infrastructure Development : Recognition of transportation policy problems in geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited areas

The development of infrastructure that is critical for the functionality, survival and progress of a dependent society is a complex endeavour of public concern that necessitates a suitable governance approach. Transportation infrastructure is of certain societal relevance as it facilitates stakeholders’ access to opportunities and necessities. However, the characteristics of geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited areas pose a further challenge for its governance. To facilitate future developments, this thesis focuses on transportation policy, especially on the recognition of policy problems, including issues such as accessibility, that requires a network of governance actors to approach the perceived problem. In particular, this thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of policy realities in geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited areas and the theoretical and practical tools that are useful to approach transportation policy issues while envisioning inclusive and sustainable futures. For this purpose, the research for this thesis pursued the following main research question: How can governance networks approach transportation policy issues towards an inclusive and sustainable future development of geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited areas? The research included three studies to address key theoretical and practical perspectives: the theoretical foundations of systems, infrastructure and governance, the transportation system to be governed and the governing system in the context of a geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited region in central Sweden. The first study (see Paper I) reviews a body of literature on theories and concepts relevant for addressing the topic of this thesis. The second and third studies (see Paper II and III) empirically progresses from an analysis of Swedish transport policy, leading to a conceptualisation of the transportation system, to a closer examination of the narratives related to the policy reality of in the selected region: the Sundsvall region in the middle of Sweden. The thesis then integrates the studies and deepens the insights about the recognition of the policy issues, the policy reality of the studied governance network to address them and the future developments of both in the geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited area. The results demonstrate that a systems perspective is valuable for analysing and recognising critical infrastructure development and its governance in general and the recognition of transportation policy problems in geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited areas in particular. Among others, the empirical results emphasise that the complexity of the system to be governed and the governing system challenges policy actors and necessitates a change towards inclusive, experimental, and failure-forgiving approaches. Several factors could be identified that can accelerate or hinder sustainable regional development and therefore need to be adequately addressed in regional governance networks dealing with transportation policy problems in geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited areas: (1) understanding of local strengths and weaknesses, (2) involvement of the local community’s key actors, (3) knowledge about stakeholder needs, (4) clarity about the role of collaboration and the actors in the regional network, (5) a joint vision about the entire region and the specific contribution of each municipality, (6) creating and maintaining a strategic focus on long-term objectives while adapting to short-term necessities, and (7) negotiation between local and regional interests. These factors also reveal that the governance network must not only deal with the policy issue itself, but also with the governance of the governance network. Understanding the recursive nature of systems and processes could help to separate different levels to approach: the transportation policy issues, the means of the governance network to address them, and the governance of the network towards an inclusive and sustainable future development of geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited areas. The contribution of this thesis is threefold. First, it demonstrates that a systems perspective provides a valuable conceptual basis for exploring and analysing complex policy issues, thus enabling a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of a problem of interest and the impact of activities intended to address it. Second, the insights into the Swedish case contribute with findings from a geographically peripheral and sparsely inhabited area that can stimulate improvements in public administration and transportation policy, as well as further research in this and adjacent fields. Third, the studies develop, employ and test several theoretical and practical tools. In particular, the thesis spans from the historical challenges to envisioning inclusive and sustainable futures in association with transportation policy problems. The conceptual and analytical frameworks and the methodological proceedings therefore offer valuable contributions for researchers and practitioners. Future research could further expand and deepen the presented findings. Suggestions include analysing other narratives on other transport policy objectives in the Swedish context and beyond. In addition, other stakeholder groups or national contexts with similar or different geographical and demographic conditions could be involved in comparative studies. Moreover, the distribution of responsibilities, costs and benefits as well as power relations among the actors concerned with the development of the transport system could be further examined. Future research could also explore new ways of conducting governance approaches in practice, considering both the policy issues, the governance approach itself and the governance of the governance network and its processes.