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Changing balance: the participation and role of voluntary organisations in the Swedish policy process
Institutionen för humaniora, utbildnings- och samhällsvetenskap, Örebro universitet.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0627-1245
2012 (English)In: Scandinavian Political Studies, ISSN 0080-6757, E-ISSN 1467-9477, Vol. 35, no 4, p. 347-371Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This article focuses on the changing level of participation of voluntary organisations in the policy process between 1964 and 2009 and its implication for the role played by voluntary organisations to the state. Drawing on data from the remiss procedure – one of the most understudied parts of the Swedish policy-making process – the results implicate a reduced role for voluntary organisations in formal arenas for policy making. While the number of participating voluntary organisations has remained stable, the relative share of participating organisations has declined and an increasing proportion of organisations have abstained from participating. In addition, the shares of conflict-oriented and member-benefit-oriented organisations have decreased while consensus-oriented and public-benefit-oriented organisations appear to have increased slightly. These findings are discussed in the context of changes in the coordination and implementation of public policies, implying that over time the role of voluntary organisations as arenas for deliberation and mediators of individual interests tend to have gradually lost ground in relation to the state while the share of organisations taking direct welfare responsibility has slightly increased. Although it may be premature to speak about a shifting role of voluntary organisations from input to output in the political system, the result suggest an emerging trend in that direction. Further research is needed to clarify whether this changing pattern of participation is evident in other arenas for policy making in Sweden or is an isolated feature explained from the outset of the remiss procedure.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Vol. 35, no 4, p. 347-371
National Category
Political Science
Research subject
Political Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-5849DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9477.2012.00292.xISI: 000309593500004Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84867397514OAI: oai:DiVA.org:esh-5849DiVA, id: diva2:1081540
Available from: 2012-08-16 Created: 2017-03-14 Last updated: 2024-06-12Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. A pluralist state?: civil society organizations’ access to the Swedish policy process 1964-2009
Open this publication in new window or tab >>A pluralist state?: civil society organizations’ access to the Swedish policy process 1964-2009
2014 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Including civil society organizations in the policy process is a distinctive trait of democratic governance. But, while being highly valuable from a democratic point of view, not all civil society organizations are represented in the policy process. This dissertation draws attention to the role of the government in shaping the representation of civil society organizations in the Swedish government consultation referred to as the ‘remiss procedure’. The overall aim is to increase empirical and theoretical understanding of civil society organizations’ access to the national Swedish policy process. Drawing on various empirical data sources, it analyzes how access has changed during the second half of the 20th century, the factors influencing access, and the significance of the access provided by the government.

The results are based on four empirical studies, and show that the government has encouraged an increasing number and more diverse types of civil society organizations to be represented in the remiss procedure. In addition, organizations with plenty of resources, such as labor and business organizations, are not overrepresented. However, access is slightly skewed in favor of civil society organizations with an insider position within other access points at national government level, which is consistent with a privileged pluralistic pattern of interest representation. In addition, civil society organizations seem to be invited into an arena for political influence of less relevance. Theoretically, the dissertation moves beyond the neo-corporatist perspective that dominated Swedish research during the second half of the 20th century by drawing attention to five different theoretical lenses: pluralism, neo-corporatism, political opportunity structures, policy network theory, and resource exchange theory. It concludes that a variety of theories are needed for access to be understood.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Örebro: Örebro universitet, 2014. p. 90
Series
Örebro Studies in Political Science, ISSN 1650-1632 ; 38
Keywords
Access, Interest representation, Civil society, Neo-corporatism, Pluralism, Political opportunity structures, Policy network, Resource exchange, Consultations, Governmental commissions, Remiss procedure, Sweden
National Category
Globalisation Studies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-5851 (URN)978-91-7529-046-1 (ISBN)
Public defence
2014-11-07, Hörsal P2, Prismahuset, Fakultetsgatan 1, 10:15 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2017-03-14 Created: 2017-03-14 Last updated: 2022-01-03Bibliographically approved

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