Peer-reviewed article
En försumbar arena? Organisationerna och remissväsendet 1964–2009
2012Lundberg, E.Statsvetenskaplig tidskrift
What is this study about?
The study examines how the participation of Swedish organised civil society in the consultation (remiss) system has changed between 1964 and 2009. The consultation system has historically been an important channel for organisations to submit views on governmental inquiries and political proposals. The study analyses both the extent of the organisations' participation and which types of organisations participate, with a particular interest in whether new social movements and newer organisational forms have gained more space alongside the traditional interest and popular movement organisations.
What did we find?
Has the consultation system become an arena where new organisations and social movements replace the traditional organisations? The study shows that the position of organised civil society in the consultation system has changed over time. The participation of the traditional organisations has declined, but this development does not represent a simple transition in which new social movements take their place. New types of organisations have not fully compensated for the decreased presence of the traditional organisations. The consultation system thus appears as a less central arena for the participation of broad organised civil society than before.
Why does it matter?
The consultation system has long been an important institutional channel between the state and organised society. If traditional organisations participate less while new social movements and organisational forms do not take their place to the same extent, the democratic function of this channel also changes. The study therefore shows that changes in civil society are not automatically reflected in the state's established forms of participation. This raises questions about how well political institutions manage to give new organisations, movements and societal interests access to the decision-making process – and about which voices risk being more weakly represented.
Citation
Lundberg, E. (2012) En försumbar arena? Organisationerna och remissväsendet 1964–2009. Statsvetenskaplig tidskrift 114(1) 30–55
Research area
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