About the project
In recent years, a number of new ways have been developed in which citizens can participate in local politics - so-called democratic innovations. Involving citizens strengthens the democratic readiness of the population, but also contributes to legitimizing the representative democratic system.
The elected local politicians should be responsive to citizens both before and after elections, it is held, and smart solutions to local problems may be developed together with knowledgeable citizens. However, the research shows that local politicians are not always as comfortable with the various forms of citizen participation that are introduced. What we so far know very little about, and which we will therefore investigate in this project, is what kind of contact with the citizens the local politicians need in their work and how the needs of the local politicians are considered when new arenas for citizen participation are developed in the municipalities.
We assume there is a need to be responsive to the citizens, receive information and views and make use of the knowledge the citizens possess. However, we believe that the need for contact is two-sided, and that the elected representatives as political leaders also want to influence the citizens' perceptions of local political matters and possible solutions.
With this as a starting point, we will, in collaboration with three municipalities (Åfjord, Rana and Drammen) and the Local Government Organization (KS), investigate the possibility of developing new forms of citizen participation that are beneficial both for citizens and for local politicians.
Read more about the project here.
Cooperation
- Drammen municipality
- Rana municipality
- Åfjord municipality
- The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS)