Taken together, the results from the three papers included in the thesis indicate that the traditional focus on internal characteristics of individual municipalities typically related to size and fiscal stress are not sufficient to understand variation in the participation and outcomes of IMC in health. Rather, our findings suggest a broader approach, an approach that also accounts for the relational and contextual aspects of IMC.
Bjørnulf Arntsen
PhD Candidate
Bjørnulf Arntsen of the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Agder has submitted his thesis entitled «Antecedents and outcomes of inter-municipal cooperation in health services – A relational and contextual approach» and will defend the thesis for the PhD-degree Friday 30 September 2022.
He has followed the PhD programme at the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences.
The existing research literature on inter municipal cooperation (IMC) has mainly been limited to “hard” and technical services, primarily focusing on the potential to achieve cost savings through economies of scale.
Although important, however, this literature is not very helpful in providing a better understanding of the complexity and diversity of IMC established in “softer” health services.
Going beyond traditional economic explanations, the overall purpose of this thesis was to identify some of the contextual and relational factors that may help explain variation in the participation and outcomes of IMC in health services.
The thesis includes three papers in which the following research questions were addressed:
The three studies included in the thesis used a quantitative cross-sectional research design. Analyses were based on survey- and registry data obtained from a sample of Norwegian municipalities involved in IMC in health services.
In our study of the participation of IMC (paper 1), we found internal constraints resulting from small size and fiscal stress acting as important drivers of IMC while geographical distances and heterogeneity relative to neighboring municipalities seemed to act as contextual barriers.
In our two studies of the outcomes of IMC we found the perceived benefits and costs of IMC to be closely associated with the interplay between the structure and quality of the cooperative relationship (paper 2) and the degree of size asymmetry inherent in IMC organized according to a host municipality model (paper 3).
Taken together, the results from the three papers included in the thesis indicate that the traditional focus on internal characteristics of individual municipalities typically related to size and fiscal stress are not sufficient to understand variation in the participation and outcomes of IMC in health.
Rather, our findings suggest a broader approach, an approach that also accounts for the relational and contextual aspects of IMC.
The trial lecture and the public defence will take place online via the Zoom conferencing app - registration link below.
Head of the Department of Health and Nursing Sciences, Professor Mariann Fossum, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, will chair the disputation.
Given topic for trial lecture: «Aktuelle teorier og perspektiver i forståelse av fler-kommunalt samarbeid» ("Current theories and perspectives in the understanding of inter-municipal cooperation")
Thesis Title: «Antecedents and outcomes of inter-municipal cooperation in health services – A relational and contextual approach»
Search for the thesis in AURA - Agder University Research Archive, a digital archive of scientific papers, theses and dissertations from the academic staff and students at the University of Agder.
The Candidate: Bjørnulf Arntsen (1971, Risør) Major subject in Political Science (Cand.polit), UiO (2004). Major subject thesis title: «Konflikt og konsensus – en studie av mål, virkemidler og organisering innenfor Natur og Ungdom og Bellona». Employee (2000 – 2009) as Department manager at SERAF – Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research (UiO) and as a research assistant at ARENA Centre for European Studies (UiO). Present position - from 2009 - CEO at Centre for Care Research South (UiA).
First opponent: Professor Lars Erik Kjekshus, Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo
Second opponent: Associate Professor, PhD Christian Lindholst, Department of Politics and Society, Aalborg University, Denmark
Associate Professor Randi Eikeland, Department of Health and Nursing Sciences, University of Agder, is appointed as the administrator for the assessment committee.
Supervisors in the doctoral work were Professor Dag Olaf Torjesen, Department of Political Science and Management, University of Agder (main supervisor) and Associate Professor Tor-Ivar Karlsen, Department of Psychososial Health, University of Agder (co-supervisor)
The disputation is open to the public, but to follow the trial lecture and the public defence digitally, transmitted via the Zoom conferencing app, you have to register as an audience member on this link:
https://uiano.zoom.us/meeting/register/u50lfu6urDorG9BIh5X1YdmtJbAtKmbfInMf
A Zoom-link will be returned to you. (Here are introductions for how to use Zoom: support.zoom.us if you cannot join by clicking on the link.)
We ask online audience members to join the virtual trial lecture at 09:05 at the earliest and the public defense at 11:20 at the earliest. After these times, you can leave and rejoin the meeting at any time. Further, we ask online audience members to turn off their microphone and camera and keep them turned off throughout the event. You do this at the bottom left of the image when in Zoom. We recommend you use ‘Speaker view’. You select that at the top right corner of the video window when in Zoom.
The chair invites members of the public to pose questions ex auditorio in the introduction to the public defense. Deadline is during the break between the two opponents. The person asking questions should have read the thesis. For online audience the Contact Persons e-mail are available in the chat function during the Public Defense, and questions ex auditorio can be submitted to Eli Margareth Andås on e-mail eli.andas@uia.no.