Activation in resource networks: a comparative study of ports

In this paper we present two cases of ports. The first case is concerned with the creation of Skavsta airport in Sweden. Grenland Port in Norway is the focus of our second case. There are two research questions for this paper. The first has to do with what happens to existing resources when a new actor tries to activate them. The second question has to do with how single resources can be combined in new ways without creating changes in a network structure. In the latter sections of this paper we attempt to connect these two questions by comparing the two cases. The key finding of the paper is that resource development can occur without changing the structure of a network. INTRODUCTION Harbours have been important for thousands of years and there are many cities that have developed around suitable sites. They have, in many cases, been a resource that has created activities and prosperity. In the last 50 years, the same has been true for airports. Harbours and airports are important ingredients in the infrastructure in most countries and belong to the same resource category as roads, railways, power transmission grids and telecommunication networks. For many years, a systems view based on a “natural monopoly assumption” has been dominating, which has lead to these resources being taken care of by governments. One consequence has been that these resources have been “administered” more than “managed”. However, during the last decade we have seen a new trend emerge where such resources have become actors who are free to try to develop their own resources as well as to combine these with other chosen actors. This is the starting point for this paper. What can an actor do to increase the value of such a resource? In order to study this issue, we have chosen to start from two cases – one harbour and one airport. Both cases regard ports, which have gone through an important change in terms of how they have been defined as an actor. The first case is concerned with the activation of Skavsta airport in Sweden – an airport that was constructed in the 1930’s but modernised in the 1990’s. Grenland Port in Norway, designed as an actor in the