Academic interests
- bureaucracy
- media
- political communication
- central administration
- administrative and political elites
- core executives
Courses taught
STV1400 Offentlig politikk og administrasjon (bachelor)
STV4436 Statsvitenskap som redskap i offentlig forvaltning (master)
Background
Education
- PhD in political science, University of Oslo (2013)
- Master in political science, University of Oslo (2005)
- Cand. mag., University of Oslo (2002)
- Bachelor in journalism, Oslo Metropolitian University (2001)
Work experience
- 2018-date: Department of political science, University of Oslo
- 2016-2018: Associate professor, OsloMet
- 2006-2008: Advisor, Ministry of Research and Education
- 2005 spring: Intern, Norwegian Embassy, Washington.
Tags:
OPA,
Sentralforvaltningen,
Post-NPM,
Nordic,
Forvaltningspolitikk
Publications
-
Karlsen, Rune & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2023).
Ministerial advisers and the media.
In Shaw, Richard (Eds.),
Handbook on Ministerial and Political Advisers.
Edward Elgar Publishing.
ISSN 9781800886575 .
Show summary
Political leaders increasingly surround themselves with advisers who combine a mix of communicative and media insight with political know-how. Despite a recent surge in scholarly work on ministerial advisers, detailed insights into how ministerial media advisers operate are scarce, and few systematic accounts exist that review the work and importance of ministerial media advisers across different countries. First we discuss - from a mediatisation theory perspective - developments in politics and media that have made media advisers necessary for political leaders. We then consider conceptual differences based on such advisers’ relations to actors in the media and wider political-administrative system. Third, we take stock of existing knowledge about ministerial media advisers and distinguish empirical varieties across countries and traditions based on the limited empirical evidence. Finally, we consider avenues for future work on ministerial media advisers.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Karlsen, Rune & Askim, Jostein
(2023).
Survey research and the scholarship on ministerial advisers.
In Shaw, Richard (Eds.),
Handbook on Ministerial and Political Advisers.
Edward Elgar Publishing.
ISSN 9781800886575 .
p. 110–122.
Show summary
Survey methodology has been central for investigating the behaviour, roles, and motivations of ministerial advisers. This chapter looks closely at how surveys have been used in research on ministerial advisers and how it can be used to move this scholarship forward. The first part of the chapter is structured according to the process of survey research: defining the population, developing the questionnaire, and collecting and analysing data. At each step, we relate the study of ministerial advisers to the general challenges associated with doing survey research. In the second part of the chapter, we review the insights that have been gained through the use of survey methods in ministerial adviser research. The chapter concludes by suggesting avenues for further survey research on ministerial advisers.
-
Askim, Jostein; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Smith, Eivind
(2023).
Ministerial advisers in the Scandinavian tradition .
In Shaw, Richard (Eds.),
Handbook on Ministerial and Political Advisers.
Edward Elgar Publishing.
ISSN 9781800886575 .
p. 251–265.
doi:
https:/doi.org/10.4337/9781800886582.00027.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
The Scandinavian countries share numerous characteristics: constitutional monarchy, parliamentary government, proportional representation electoral systems, and frequent coalition governments. When it comes to ministerial advisers, however, the differences are more striking than the similarities. Denmark has a small and functionally weak ministerial adviser cohort, while Norway and, especially, Sweden have many and strong ministerial advisers. This chapter argues that Scandinavian ministerial advisers - their numbers, location, roles, and competencies - can be seen as defensive mechanisms used to help senior politicians and bureaucrats avoid having to change much over time. The chapter compares the Scandinavian countries with an emphasis on inter-departmental coordination and coordination between politicians and bureaucrats. Empirically, the chapter rests on a study of constitutions, statutes, internal government regulations, and 21 elite interviews.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Shaw, Richard
(2022).
Continuity and Change: Explaining Developments and Looking to the Future,
Core Executives in a Comparative Perspective: Governing in Complex Times.
Palgrave Macmillan.
ISSN 9783030945022.
doi:
10.1007/978-3-030-94503-9_12.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Askim, Jostein
(2022).
The Norwegian Core Executive: Baronial Courts and Inner Circles?
Core Executives in a Comparative Perspective: Governing in Complex Times.
Palgrave Macmillan.
ISSN 9783030945022.
doi:
10.1007/978-3-030-94503-9_11.
-
Shaw, Richard & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2022).
Core Executive Studies in the Wild,
Core Executives in a Comparative Perspective: Governing in Complex Times.
Palgrave Macmillan.
ISSN 9783030945022.
doi:
10.1007/978-3-030-94503-9_2.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Shaw, Richard
(2022).
In the Beginning: The Story of a Concept,
Core Executives in a Comparative Perspective: Governing in Complex Times.
Palgrave Macmillan.
ISSN 9783030945022.
-
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2021).
Communication Advisers in Public Bureaucracies: Inhabitants of the Zone between Politics and Administration.
In Pinheiro, Romulo & Trondal, Jarle (Ed.),
Organizing and Governing Governmental Institutions.
Fagbokforlaget.
ISSN 978-82-450-3532-2.
-
Askim, Jostein; Karlsen, Rune & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2021).
Departementspolitikere i et politiseringsperspektiv: En studie av statssekretærer og politiske rådgivere i regjeringene Bondevik 2, Stoltenberg 2 og Solberg.
Norsk Statsvitenskapelig Tidsskrift.
ISSN 0801-1745.
37(4),
p. 191–209.
doi:
10.18261/issn.1504-2936-2021-04-03.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Over hele den vestlige verden har det de siste tiårene skjedd en vekst i antallet politisk ansatte i departementene (departementspolitikere), noe som ofte ses på som uttrykk for politisering og et ønske om økt kontroll over byråkratiet. For å forstå omfanget av politisering er det imidlertid viktig å ikke bare fokusere på selve antallet departementspolitikere, men også på deres partipolitiske bakgrunn og på deres rolle i regjeringsapparatet og departementet, herunder deres forhold til embetsverket. Artikkelen presenterer resultater fra en omfattende studie av norske departementspolitikeres bakgrunn, funksjoner og oppgaver. Data er hentet fra spørreundersøkelser til statssekretærer og politiske rådgivere fra regjeringene Bondevik 2 (2001-2005), Stoltenberg 2 (2005-2013) og Solberg (2013-2021). Artikkelen bidrar med empirisk kunnskap om en lite studert aktørgruppe i det politiske systemet og en diskusjon av funnene opp mot det mangefasetterte politiseringsbegrepet. Artikkelen konkluderer med at departementspolitikerne politiserer departementet – ikke ved å være en portvokter embetsverket må passere for å nå frem til statsråden, men ved å ha politisk og faglig kompetanse som gjør det mulig å gå inn i saker i fagavdelingene.
-
Askim, Jostein; Karlsen, Rune & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2021).
Populists in Government: Normal or Exceptional?
Government and Opposition.
ISSN 0017-257X.
1(21).
doi:
10.1017/gov.2021.30.
Show summary
How is government affected by including populists in a governing coalition? We investigate if populist political parties behave “normally” when they attain power, or if they govern differently from mainstream political parties. Empirically, we use survey data from 282 ministerial advisers from three cabinets in Norway. Our conclusion is that populists govern normally on some governance dimensions and exceptionally on others. Populists in office had ample professional experience, adhered to collegial decision making, and thought the bureaucracy delivered quality and was politically responsive, on a par with the non-populists. However, populists differed from non-populist politicians in their contact patterns and their communicative concerns. That populists in this context belong to a party with a long history of parliamentary representation (Norway’s Progress Party) suggests elements of exceptionalism are things one should expect to find in practically all populist parties that attain power.
-
Figenschou, Tine Ustad; Fredriksson, Magnus; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Pallas, Josef
(2021).
Public Bureaucracies.
In Skogerbø, Eli; Ihlen, Øyvind; Kristensen, Nete Nørgaard & Nord, Lars W. (Ed.),
Power, communication, and politics in the Nordic countries.
Nordicom.
ISSN 978-91-88855-28-2.
p. 325–345.
doi:
10.48335/9789188855299-16.
Full text in Research Archive
-
-
Karlsen, Rune; Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Schillemans, Thomas & Thorbjørnsrud, Kjersti
(2020).
Media and Bureaucracy: Investigating Media Awareness Amongst Civil Servants.
Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration (SPJA).
ISSN 2001-7405.
24(3),
p. 53–72.
doi:
10.58235/sjpa.v24i3.8602.
Full text in Research Archive
-
Askim, Jostein; Karlsen, Rune & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2020).
Public office as a stepping stone? Investigating the careers of ministerial advisors.
Political Studies Review.
ISSN 1478-9299.
p. 1–19.
doi:
10.1177/1478929920906991.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Ministerial advisors (MAs) have become an essential aspect of executive branches worldwide, thus making the MA office a potential route for young politicians aspiring to an expanding political class. The article studies which professions MAs migrate to following their ministerial careers, how MAs’ post-ministerial careers compare to their pre-ministerial careers, and if the variance in careers can be explained by the resources that MAs obtain while in government. Empirically, the article draws on a cohort of 139 MAs in Norwegian governments between 2001 and 2009; it covers positions in the political sphere and the public, private and voluntary occupational sectors over a period from each MA’s youth to the end of 2017. The bibliographic data is combined with surveys and elite interviews. The results show that more than expanding the political class as a recruitment ground for future MPs and ministers, MA appointments serve as stepping-stones to careers outside of politics. Most MAs experience shifts between occupational sectors and upward to higher positions. However, MAs’ attractiveness in the labour market is surprisingly unaffected by what they actually did in office; rather, it rests on resources such as insider knowledge and networks.
Keywords: Ministerial Advisors, Careers, Political Class, Revolving door, Executives
-
-
-
Figenschou, Tine Ustad; Karlsen, Rune; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Schillemans, Thomas
(2019).
Mounting media pressure: Push and pull forces influencing agendas, resource allocation and decision-making in public bureaucracies.
European Journal of Communication.
ISSN 0267-3231.
34(4),
p. 377–394.
doi:
10.1177/0267323119861513.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Karlsen, Rune & Askim, Jostein
(2019).
Understanding reputational concerns within government agencies.
Policy & Politics.
ISSN 0305-5736.
47(3),
p. 473–493.
doi:
10.1332/030557319X15579230420144.
-
-
-
-
Solberg, Espen & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2017).
Norsk forskningspolitikk: fragmentert styring i et sentralisert system.
In Askim, Jostein; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Røe, Per Gunnar (Ed.),
En smartere stat. Veier til bedre politikk og styring.
Universitetsforlaget.
ISSN 978-82-15-02707-4.
p. 159–176.
-
Askim, Jostein; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Røe, Per Gunnar
(2017).
Veier til bedre politikk og styring.
In Askim, Jostein; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Røe, Per Gunnar (Ed.),
En smartere stat. Veier til bedre politikk og styring.
Universitetsforlaget.
ISSN 978-82-15-02707-4.
p. 9–30.
-
Figenschou, Tine Ustad; Karlsen, Rune; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Thorbjørnsrud, Kjersti
(2017).
Serving the Media Ministers: A Mixed Methods Study on the Personalization of Ministerial Communication.
The International Journal of Press/Politics.
ISSN 1940-1612.
22(4),
p. 411–430.
doi:
10.1177/1940161217720772.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
The personalization of politics has received much attention in both the political science and political communication literature, but the focus has almost entirely been on party leaders and prime ministers. This study investigates the personalization of ministerial communication in Norway, a type of decentralized personalization. It combines a survey of communication workers; in-depth interviews with politicians, communication workers, political reporters, and top-level civil servants; and ethnographic observation inside a ministry. The article goes beyond media-centered perspectives and identifies several potential drivers and barriers to personalization processes. Based on our mixed methods approach, we find that ministerial communication in Norway is strongly centered on the minister in both reactive media management and the proactive promotion of the minister and new policies. This decentralized personalization is driven by both demands from the media and the strategic adaptation by political and administrative actors within ministries. Based on the rich empirically grounded insights, the article discusses how the interplay between the logic of the contemporary commercial news media, political ambitions, internal administrative ambitions, and changes in executive government shapes the personalization of ministerial communication, and illuminates how these multiple drivers of personalization are mutually reinforcing.
-
Hustedt, Thurid; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Salomonsen, Heidi Houlberg
(2017).
Ministerial advisors in executive government: Out from the dark and into the limelight.
Public Administration.
ISSN 0033-3298.
95(2),
p. 299–311.
doi:
10.1111/padm.12329.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Askim, Jostein
(2017).
Decentralization as Substantial and Institutional Policy Change:
Scrutinizing the Regionalization of Science Policy in Norway
.
Science and Public Policy.
ISSN 0302-3427.
44(4),
p. 546–555.
doi:
10.1093/scipol/scw083.
-
Askim, Jostein; Karlsen, Rune & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2017).
Political appointees in executive government: Exploring and explaining roles using a large-N survey in Norway.
Public Administration.
ISSN 0033-3298.
95(2),
p. 342–358.
doi:
10.1111/padm.12272.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Political appointees in executive government have received increased scholarly attention in recent years. However, few studies have covered non-Westminster systems, and apart from classifications that systemize variation in assignments, theorizing about appointees has been limited. Using large-N survey data, the article finds three distinct roles among political appointees in Norway: ‘stand in’, ‘media adviser’ and ‘political coordinator’. The article then combines insights from research on political appointees with insights from core executive studies (CES) to explain why political appointees perform one role or another. The empirical results support the notion that roles of appointees within the core executive depend on where they sit, supporting the asymmetric power model within CES. The results also show that appointees' roles within the executive depend on their personal experience, supporting the notion of a resource exchange between ministers and their appointees in the mould of the resource-dependency perspective within CES.
-
-
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2014).
Samordning i det norske regjeringsapparatet.
In Baldersheim, Harald & Østerud, Øyvind (Ed.),
Det norske demokratiet i det 21. århundre.
Fagbokforlaget.
ISSN 9788245016147.
-
Askim, Jostein; Karlsen, Rune & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2014).
Statssekretærer i norsk politikk: De oversette maktutøverne.
Norsk Statsvitenskapelig Tidsskrift.
ISSN 0801-1745.
30(4),
p. 233–255.
Show summary
Statssekretærene er trolig den gruppen med mest politisk makt i Norge som vi vet minst om. I denne artikkelen forsøker vi å bøte på denne manglende kunnskapen. Med utgangspunkt i relevant teori og internasjonal forskning drøfter vi først hvorfor antallet politisk ansatte i departementene har økt, og hvilke roller statssekretærer kan tenkes å ha i regjeringer. Deretter studerer vi tre hovedspørsmål empirisk: For det første, har det vært en økning i antall statssekretærer fra 1945 til i dag? For det andre, hva slags sosial og politisk bakgrunn har statssekretærene, og har denne endret seg over tid? For det tredje, hvor omfattende er såkalt partipolitisk skygging, at man som statssekretær fra et annet parti kan gå ministeren nærmere etter i sømmene? For å belyse disse spørsmålene benytter vi i hovedsak tilgjengelige registerdata. Gjennomgangen viser at antallet statssekretærer i departementene har økt betraktelig de siste tiårene, samtidig som det har blitt færre politiske rådgivere. Når det gjelder statssekretærenes bakgrunn synes erfaring fra partiorganisasjonen å ha blitt viktigere over tid. Statssekretærenes rolle har også endret seg. I de studerte koalisjonsregjeringene har det blitt vanligere å ha statssekretærer fra et annet parti; det gjelder ikke lenger bare de viktigste departementene, men ser ut til å ha blitt normen i en rekke departementer. Overordnet kan disse utviklingstrekkene tyde på det er et økende behov for partipolitisk koordinering i norske regjeringer.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2014).
Concentration of power in cabinets: Exploring the importance of the party political context.
Acta Politica.
ISSN 0001-6810.
49(3),
p. 266–285.
doi:
10.1057/ap.2013.22.
-
-
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2012).
Maktkonsentrasjon og politisk kontekst. Om underutvalgets rolle i to norske regjeringer.
Norsk Statsvitenskapelig Tidsskrift.
ISSN 0801-1745.
p. 24–47.
Show summary
I flere av våre naboland har man de siste årene sett tendenser til at regjeringslederens stilling har blitt styrket og at regjeringsmøtet har fått mindre betydning som beslutningsarena. Det overordnede forskningsspørsmålet i denne artikkelen er hvorvidt beslutningsmakten også i norske regjeringer har blitt konsentrert, og hvilke faktorer som eventuelt kan bidra til å forklare utviklingstrekkene. Internasjonalisering, medialisering av politikken og økt kompleksitet og fragmentering i samfunnet, er ifølge den såkalte presidensialiserings-litteraturen viktige grunnleggende årsaker til at regjeringsledere i en rekke parlamentariske demokratier har økt sin innflytelse.
Denne artikkelen undersøker hvordan også trekk ved regjeringskonstellasjonen kan ha betydning for spørsmålet om maktkonsentrasjon. Artikkelen baserer seg på semi-strukturerte intervjuer med 19 statsråder fra Bondevik II- og Stoltenberg II-regjeringen. Konklusjonen er at regjeringskollegiet har mistet innflytelse. Beslutningsmakten har derimot blitt tydeligere sentrert rundt det såkalte underutvalget som i tillegg til statsministeren også inneholder partilederne og finansministeren. I artikkelen antydes det at forhold som politiske avstander mellom koalisjonspartiene og regjeringens parlamentariske basis har hatt betydning for maktkonsentrasjonen.
View all works in Cristin
-
Askim, Jostein; Flo, Yngve; Holmøyvik, Eirik; Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Mangset, Marte & Rasch, Bjørn Erik
(2024).
Regjeringen: Historien, makten og hverdagen.
Fagbokforlaget.
ISBN 9788245040296.
-
Stigen, Inger Marie; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Winsvold, Marte Slagsvold
(2022).
Fra valg til velferd. Innføring i stats- og kommunalkunnskap. 2. utgave.
Cappelen Damm Akademisk.
ISBN 978-82-02-76653-5.
283 p.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Shaw, Richard
(2022).
Core Executives in a Comparative Perspective: Governing in Complex Times.
Palgrave Macmillan.
ISBN 9783030945022.
-
Stigen, Inger Marie; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Winsvold, Marte Slagsvold
(2018).
Fra valg til velferd. Innføring i stats- og kommunalkunnskap.
Cappelen Damm Akademisk.
ISBN 9788202529406.
262 p.
-
Askim, Jostein; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Røe, Per Gunnar
(2017).
En smartere stat. Veier til bedre politikk og styring.
Universitetsforlaget.
ISBN 978-82-15-02707-4.
203 p.
View all works in Cristin
-
Askim, Jostein Rosfjord; Bach, Tobias & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2022).
Bureaucratic appointments, competence, and administrative dilemmas: a paired experiment with bureaucrats, politicians, citizens, and journalists.
-
Figenschou, Tine Ustad; Fredriksson, Magnus; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Pallas, Josef
(2021).
Public Bureaucracies.
In Skogerbø, Eli; Ihlen, Øyvind; Kristensen, Nete Nørgaard & Nord, Lars W. (Ed.),
Power, communication, and politics in the Nordic countries.
Nordicom.
ISSN 978-91-88855-28-2.
p. 325–345.
doi:
%2010.48335/9789188855299-16.
-
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Karlsen, Rune & Figenschou, Tine Ustad
(2020).
Conceptualizing Communication Professionals in Public Bureaucracies: Ideal Types and Empirical Application.
-
Figenschou, Tine Ustad & Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2018).
Når byråkratiene styres av mediene (kronikk).
[Newspaper].
Aftenposten.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Askim, Jostein & Karlsen, Rune
(2018).
Understanding Reputational Concerns within Government Agencies: The Importance of Individual Characteristics and Organizational Features.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Figenschou, Tine Ustad & Karlsen, Rune
(2018).
Communication workers in ministries: Strategic links between politics and administration.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2017).
Lojalitet, nøytralitet og faglig uavhengighet i sentraladministrasjonen.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Karlsen, Rune & Figenschou, Tine Ustad
(2017).
Mounting media pressure: Push and pull forces influencing decision making in public bureaucracies.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer
(2017).
On the minister’s tight leash? Exploring the links between the media, ministers and agency autonomy
.
-
Figenschou, Tine Ustad; Karlsen, Rune; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Thorbjørnsrud, Kjersti
(2017).
Media influence on bureaucratic decision-making: Evidence from Norway and the Netherlands.
-
Kolltveit, Kristoffer; Askim, Jostein & Rose, Lawrence E
(2014).
Knowledge, wicked problems and multi-level government: Learning in the shadow of complexity.
Show summary
The growing political science literature on wicked policy problems and multi-level government typically studies challenges related to coordination and democratic accountability. Without disputing the importance of these phenomena, this paper argues that the wicked issues literature should pay more attention to the learning aspect of policymaking: knowledge production, knowledge dissemination, and experience-based policy learning. And vice versa: The literature on learning in organizations and policy subsystems should pay more attention to learning in wicked problem processes. The limited dialogue between these literatures is surprising given that the need for information and learning must be assumed to extraordinarily high in awkwardly structured policy subsystems and issues with wicked characteristics. This paper discusses how prerequisites of ideal learning are challenged by characteristics of wicked problems and multi-level governance: the absence of shared problem frames within the policy subsystem, underdeveloped means-ends understandings,
few common interests, lack of commitment to policy goals and improvement, and limits on opportunities for information exchange and reflection. Based on the theoretical exposition the paper formulates expectations about learning processes within three policy sectors in Norway – settlement of
refugees, regional research policy, and urban development policy.
-
Karlsen, Rune; Kolltveit, Kristoffer & Stoltenberg, Christina Hoelgaard
(2018).
Mediepåvirkning i offentlig sektor : Resultat- og dokumentasjonsrapport.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning.
ISSN 978-82-7763-587-3.
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Rapporten dokumenterer og gjengir hovedfunnene fra spørreundersøkelsene om mediepåvirkning sendt ut til ledere, saksbehandlere og kommunikasjonsansatte i departementene, og i direktorater, ombud og tilsyn høsten 2015 og våren 2016.
View all works in Cristin
Published
Oct. 1, 2018 2:11 PM
- Last modified
Apr. 27, 2023 5:35 PM
