Dissolution of the Socio-Economic Conformity

In Scandinavian countries, processes of economic integration, political super-nationalism and the globalization of investment, are shaking the traditional foundations of strongly centralised national governments and guided regional and urban-rural development. Scandinavians are finding that the increasing costs of maintaining regional equities in quality of life conditions are threatening their ability to compete effectively in unrestricted world markets. Their response is an increasing tendency towards accepting the standards of private enterprise, free market competition and relatively unfettered capitalistic development. This, they realise, must come in part through a reduction in welfare and regional transfer payments, and with a concomitant decentralisation of governmental authority. What this brings with it is an increasing privatisation of their economies accompanied by an emergence of individual and corporate dominance in the localisation of economic activity. The result is a potential for a new economic structure that, unencumbered by regional development directives, may have unpredictable land use implications.