The Economic Integration of the Nordic -Baltic Region through Labour, Innovation, Investments and Trade

About this project

<p>Since the 1990s, the Nordic-Baltic region integration has gradually deepened, receiving a new push through the EU expansion in 2004, which gave the Baltic citizens access to the labour markets of Sweden (in 2004), Finland and Iceland (in 2006), Denmark and Norway (in 2009). While many theories help to understand the nature and the potential of the regional integration processes, such as the Nordic-Baltic one, empirical evidences are still incomplete and sometimes inconclusive. The aim of the project is to study the historical performance and estimate the potential for the economic integration of the Nordic-Baltic region via labour migration, technology transfer, foreign direct investments and capital mobility, trade of both physical goods and services. The study will look both into the hitherto effect of the regional integration, the challenges caused by that and the lessons for the future policy. The interdisciplinary consortium including members from economics, international business and sociology along with the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative research methods enables a multifaceted study of the economic and social processes related to integration of the Nordic-Baltic region. The use of detailed microdata on the population of employees and employers like matched employer-employee datasets could ambitiously help to estimate the impacts of integration at high level of granularity. The study will look in particular at the effects of various policy changes affecting regional integration like EU Eastern Enlargement in 2004, changes in laws affecting companies and individuals and changes in market access. This newly gained knowledge about the economic relations within the Baltic-Nordic region will be used to increase the awareness of the potential of business and political cooperation between the Nordic and the Baltic countries. The involvement of the industry and public stakeholders in the dissemination process will ensure the outreach to the policy.</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation among project participants aligns closely with the objectives of the programme. The project team comprised researchers from diverse scientific disciplines, including economics, management, sociology, and policy, each contributing specialized skills in quantitative data analysis and qualitative research methods. This collaborative approach was essential in achieving the project`s ambitious targets. Through joint efforts researchers from partner institutions contributed valuable insights, enriching draft articles and facilitating comparative analysis. Regular communication via email, monthly meetings, and project conferences fostered collaboration and knowledge exchange among consortium members. The international and interdisciplinary nature of the team that brings together competencies from various related subjects creates good conditions for applying for further EU-level project funding as soon as a fitting call is published.

Project partners

• Institute of Transport Economics Donor project partner· Norway
• University of Latvia Project partner· Latvia
• Baltic International Centre for Economic Policy Studies Project partner· Latvia
• University of Tartu Project partner· Estonia