There are currently a debate about merging municipalities (kommuner) in Norway. Today we have 428 municipalities, but the government wants to reduce this number to improve services. The smallest municipality in Norway is Utsira. This municipality has only 206 inhabitants. The government established an expert committee in 2014 to evaluate the municipality’s situation. This expert committee concluded, among other things that it is favorable with at least 15,000 residents in each municipality.
Another ongoing debate not only in Norway, but also all over the world, is receiving refugees. The increasing number of refugees going to Europe makes it hard to accept everyone.
In Norway, rules allow municipalities to decide whether they will accept refugees. In contrast to Sweden where refugees themselves are choosing where to stay, or Denmark where municipalities are required to take a number of refugees.
It is challenging to reach an agreement in these two cases, but I have an idea. Utsira does not want to merge with other municipalities, and perhaps one solution would be to increase the number of residents in the small municipality. What if Utsira accept 14,800 refugees. Then the municipal population will be above the minimum requirement of 15,000, and many refugees will be able to move from national reception centers.
This is obviously not a serious recommendation, but an invitation to see solutions across debates and policy areas.
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