Depopulation as a Long-term Policy Problem: From Dilemmas to Strategies

Abstract

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The scientific objective of this article is to analyse strategies for urban decision-makers to address the dilemmas of depopulation. The theoretical framework for the article is the typology of long-term policy problem-solving dilemmas by Pot et al. (2022). THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The authors answer the question of how public administration officials are responding to the challenge of regional depopulation, what dilemmas they face in the process, and whether patterns can be detected in their preferred solutions. To answer these questions, the authors rely on qualitative research findings ‒ in-depth interviews (IDI) performed with mayors of Polish cities liable to depopulation and their direct subordinates. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: How policymakers navigate specific long-term challenges is contingent upon, inter alia, their resolution of the ensuing pivotal dilemmas. RESEARCH RESULTS: The strategies followed by municipalities are strongly affected by contextual factors inclusive of the monetary scenario, the character of the metropolis and its hyperlinks with other city centres, the connection with the government, or even the management style represented by means of the mayor. An aggregate of 3 styles seems to predominate, i.e. making an investment in targets, the responsive, and the reactive ones. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Two challenges, which we call meta-dilemmas, are particularly relevant for local government in Poland: the meta-dilemma of defining the functions of local government and the dilemma of agency. Resolving them determines the decision of policy when dealing with strategic dilemmas.