Socio-economic impacts of a local bioenergy-based development strategy – The case of Pielinen Karelia, Finland

• Main Authors: Lehtonen, Olli, Okkonen, Lasse
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: karelia*
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148115301026

The regional bioeconomy has great importance for generating socio-economic impacts, especially in sparsely populated resource peripheries. The benefits include increased employment and income and improved security of supply. In this study, the modified regional input–output model of North Karelia, Finland is applied for analysing the socio-economic impacts of a bioenergy-based local development strategy. The results indicate significant socio-economic benefits of a local development strategy based on bioenergy. This benefit is corroborated by approximately 12 million euros in annual income impacts and 280 personnel working years in the district. New stimuli in a currently declining municipality could potentially break negative path dependency. New bioenergy and bioeconomic developments are promising solutions for the construction of place-based regional development in resource peripheries. Socio-economic impacts; Regional input–output modelling; Bioenergy; Place-based development;