QoG lunch seminar with Gissur Erlingsson

Abstract: This paper analyses the problematic relationship between politicians and civil servants in Swedish municipalities. The core problem stems from Sweden's unique position as one of the most decentralised countries in the world, where municipalities employ nearly one million people and are responsible for delivering core welfare services, yet lack proper constitutional regulation of the relationship between politicians and bureaucrats. The author identifies several key problems: 1) While Sweden's state administration is characterised by "dualism" (separation between politics and administration), municipalities lack this protection. The Local Government Act still reflects an outdated era when municipalities were small and did not have professional bureaucrats. 2) This lack of regulation creates risks. There is an abundance of anecdotal evidence suggesting increasing politicisation of municipal administration, with municipal directors facing shorter terms of office and more political pressure; in addition, culture as well as planning and environment departments report increasing political interference in professional decisions. The timing of these concerns is particularly relevant given the global trend of democratic backsliding, with authoritarian and/or populist leaning parties often targeting and politicising bureaucracy as a means of consolidating power. The author argues that Sweden needs to update its Local Government Act to better protect local government from undue political interference and to strengthen rule of law in local government.