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Erik Lundberg
SVEN
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Doctoral thesis

A pluralist state? Civil society organizations’ access to the Swedish policy process 1964–2009

2014Lundberg, E.Doktorsavhandling, Örebro universitet

What is this study about?

My doctoral thesis examines the opportunities of civil society organisations to participate in and gain access to the Swedish political decision-making process. The overarching question is how the relationship between the state and organised civil society has changed as the traditional Swedish corporatist model has weakened. Through analyses of several central arenas for organised participation between 1964 and 2009, the thesis examines which organisations gain access to politics and how the forms of their participation have changed.

What did we find?

The thesis shows that civil society organisations continue to play an important role in Swedish politics, but that the forms of their participation have changed. The traditional corporatist model, in which certain organisations held stable and institutionalised positions in the decision-making process, has weakened in favour of more pluralist forms of participation. The change does not, however, mean that all organisations have equal opportunities for access. Which organisations participate and which interests are represented varies across political arenas and forms of participation.

Why does it matter?

The thesis forms the starting point for a central part of my research on civil society, organising and democracy. It shows that the question of civil society's democratic significance is not only about organisations existing or engaging people, but also about their opportunities to represent interests and participate in political decision-making processes. The transition from corporatism to more pluralist forms of participation therefore raises fundamental questions about political representation, equal access and the relationship between the state and civil society – questions I have continued to explore in later research.

Citation

Lundberg, E. (2014) A pluralist state? Civil society organizations’ access to the Swedish policy process 1964–2009. Doktorsavhandling, Örebro universitet

Research area

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