2015/12/29 by Jon Pierre, Asbjørn Røiseland, Asbjørn Roiseland +2
Social Sciences · #Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering #Political Systems and Governance #Public Policy and Administration Research
paper · doi:10.1177/0020852315598214
crossref issued 2015/12/29 · crossref published 2015/12/29 · crossref published-online 2015/12/29 · openalex publication_date 2015/12/29 · crossref created 2015/12/29 · crossref published-print 2017/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/05/01 · crossref indexed 2026/07/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Given the increasing emphasis on delivery and output as a source of legitimacy for local government, how do politicians and civil servants perceive conventional, input-based channels for citizens’ influence on government in relationship to performance and output-oriented opportunities to influence public service? This article compares the attitudes of senior local politicians and civil servants in Norwegian and Swedish local authorities on these issues. The analysis draws on a data set collected among political and administrative leaders in Norwegian and Swedish local authorities. We also compare a service sector where public management reform has been extensive (care of the elderly) with a service sector where regulation and law enforcement dominates (planning and construction). The analysis suggests that there is a significant similarity between politicians’ and bureaucrats’ attitudes, although politicians accord greater importance to input-based channels of influence and to throughput than do bureaucrats. Points for practitioners Public management reform provides a new channel for clients to influence public service directly through the providers of those services and not through conventional political channels. This article studies how politicians and public servants in Norwegian and Swedish municipalities evaluate conventional and new channels for clients to influence service delivery. We also compare service sectors where such choice is extensive with areas where choice is much more constrained. Overall, we find that politicians tend to favor conventional political channels for clients’ influence whereas public servants take a more positive view of clients approaching the executive side of the local authority.