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The study aimed to study how the Relocate project is described in the media and which discourses could be identified from the reporting. This was done using critical discourse analysis as a method and theoretical framework. The study has been based on the project application, the final report and news articles. Using the discourse analytical concepts of modality and intertextuality, the analysis has revealed linguistic patterns, disagreements, and different perspectives on the project. This, together with theories about the media's role in shaping perceptions and previous studies about Swedish mobility patterns, place marketing, the impact of industrial investments on regional employment, and discourses about northern Sweden, have formed the basis of the analysis.

The analysis shows that the discourse regarding the Relocate project has been predominantly negative. Some of the most central arguments were that the price tag was not considered to be on par with the project's outcome. Other recurring arguments were disagreements about the project's purpose, and that the residents' tax money has been wasted. However, motivating people to move is demonstrably very difficult, and based on previous research it can be argued that the outcome was relatively good. The study also raised new questions about how to most effectively recruit labor to locations that are in great need. Which is particularly interesting given the large industrial investment in Skellefteå and northern Sweden, as well as the history of northern Sweden as a place of industrial development.