Greening the economy of Region Zealand (DK)

Abstract

The transition of the European economies towards green economies takes place at the regional level too. This paper examines some of the transformation processes in the Region Zealand of Denmark. From an economic perspective, environmental concerns do not only represent costs, but also important potentials for economic development. Some of the potentials in the Region Zealand are described and discussed in this paper. Realising the green economic potentials may even contribute to reduced income disparities between the north-east and the west and south of the region. The authority delegated to local governments with relevance to industrial change is limited, but the local governments nevertheless play important roles in the transition processes. The expansion of wind energy production and the institutional settings endowing local governments with some authority of relevance for mediating conflicting interests in this transformation process are also discussed.