Peer-reviewed article
Making governance networks more democratic: lessons from the Swedish governmental commissions
2015Hysing, E., & Lundberg, E.Critical Policy Studies
What is this study about?
The study examines how networks and other forms of collaboration between public and organised actors can be made more democratic. Using the Swedish system of governmental commissions as a point of departure, it analyses which institutional arrangements can help combine participation by different societal actors with democratic requirements. The study thus uses experiences from an established Swedish form of organised participation to discuss broader questions of democratic governance.
What did we find?
How can political networks be opened up for participation without weakening democratic principles? The study shows that the Swedish system of governmental commissions offers several lessons on how participation can be organised and institutionalised. Clear rules about who participates, forms of representation and links to the formal democratic decision-making process can help address some of the democratic problems often associated with governance networks. At the same time, the analysis shows that participation in itself does not guarantee democratic legitimacy.
Why does it matter?
An increasing number of political issues are handled through collaboration between public actors, organisations and other societal interests. Such networks can contribute knowledge and create opportunities for participation, but they also raise questions about who gets to participate, whom the participants represent and how accountability can be enforced. The study shows why the forms of participation are decisive: democratic collaboration requires institutional arrangements that combine participation with representation, transparency and links to representative democracy.
Citation
Hysing, E., & Lundberg, E. (2015) Making governance networks more democratic: lessons from the Swedish governmental commissions. Critical Policy Studies 1–18
Research area
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