Expertise and research fields

Regional economy

This field concerns regional growth, employment and productivity as well as research into opportunities and constraints. We combine the projections of national and international economic institutes with our knowledge of regions and economic structures, and policies of regional and municipal authorities. Economic developments in various industries are explained and used to identify potential constraints and problem areas, for example in the labour or property market (housing). Where necessary, we can also provide a breakdown of regional developments on a municipality-by-municipality basis.

Business sector analysis: sector studies, competition and cooperation

Industry analysis involves assessing how firms relate to one another within industries. What kind of firms are there, how do they differ from one another, to what extent do they compete and collaborate, where do innovations originate and how are they disseminated, and how do firms perform financially? The answers to these questions provide a picture of how an industry is structured. Periodic comparative business surveys are a key focus. Against the background of external developments in legislation, technology and economic growth, these studies provide information about activities, employment, turnover and costs, both at the firm and the industry level. This information enables firms to review their own policies and assess them in the context of other firms. Trade associations -or other forms of partnership- can monitor developments across an entire industry. Thus we provide instruments for understanding, explaining and, where possible, predicting changing industry structures. Important fields of expertise are industrial organization, services marketing and management, accounting and finance.

Public sector investments

Public sector investments can make a major contribution to economic growth and achievement of social objectives. However, this does not apply to all investment plans. This is why it is of great importance to review investment proposals, preferably by means of a social cost/benefit analysis. Such an analysis expresses the advantages and disadvantages of a project in money terms, so that the effect of the investment is apparent to all parties concerned and to society as a whole. Where effects cannot be properly represented in money terms, we try to quantify as far as possible to what extent groups (and society as a whole) will be better or worse off. The cost/benefit analysis instrument was originally used to evaluate major infrastructure investment projects, but in recent years it has been increasingly used to measure the impact of changes in legislation and regulation, taxes and levies, incentives policy and so forth.