Democratic innovations at the local level

The project studies democratic innovations at the local level, with focus on new ways of organizing local politics and involving different actors in local decision-making. The project will study two cases of reform, in the municipalities Timrå and Örnsköldsvik

One aim of the project is to investigate the democratic effects of introducing a new management and control system, with Timrå as a case. The goal is to contribute to research on political leadership and democracy, and to provide the municipality with knowledge that can contribute to achieving a good balance between effective governance and deepened democracy. A second aim is to investigate the democratic effects of introducing new ways of developing politics in collaboration between politicians and citizens, with Örnsköldsvik as a case. The goal here is also to contribute to research on political leadership and democracy, and to provide the municipality with knowledge that can contribute to better decision-making on complex issues. The project consists of three sub-studies and will answer the following research questions: 1. How is the deliberative process for creating the operational plan implemented in Timrå Municipality and which actors and interests are (dis-)advantaged by the new process? 2. How are deliberative meetings between politicians and citizens conducted in Örnsköldsvik Municipality, and how does this affect politicians’, officials’ and citizens' perceptions of local democracy? 3. How do the political parties present and argue for their (economic) policy in electoral campaigns and how has this changed in Timrå between the 2018 and 2022 elections?