After the Merger:

Do Citizens Want Democratic Innovations?

Authors

  • Krister Lundell Department of Political Science, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
  • Maija Karjalainen Department of Political Science and Contemporary History, University of Turku
  • Henrik Serup Christensen Department of Political Science, Åbo Akademi University, Finland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v20i3.14929

Keywords:

Democratic innovations, Municipal merger, Political participation, Local democracy, Legitimacy

Abstract

Democratic innovations are often considered a solution to the widespread citizen disengagement from politics at both national and local levels of government. However, it is still not clear what forms of engagement citizens prefer and whether the innovations can help sustain popular involvement in times of political turmoil. In this study, we examine whether inhabitants consider democratic innovations to be an important way to sustain citizen engagement after a municipal merger and whether introducing new ways of involvement can help mobilise otherwise disengaged groups of citizens. The data come from a survey answered by 2000 respondents in 14 current municipalities in the Turku region of Southwest Finland. The 14 municipalities are all currently involved in plans for a municipal merger to create a larger municipality. In the survey, we ask the respondents about their attitudes towards the use of various democratic innovations in the case of a municipal merger. The results suggest that citizens consider democratic innovations as important for creating a functioning democracy after a municipal merger. However, it is unlikely that democratic innovations will mobilise people not already involved in politics, regardless of the characteristics of the previous municipality.

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Author Biographies

Krister Lundell, Department of Political Science, Åbo Akademi University, Finland

Krister Lundell is Senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science at the Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland. His research interests include electoral systems, political participation and democratic innovations.

Maija Karjalainen, Department of Political Science and Contemporary History, University of Turku

Maija Karjalainen is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Political Science and Contemporary History in the University of Turku, Finland. Her research interests include participatory innovations, public opinion and theories of direct and deliberative democracy.

Henrik Serup Christensen, Department of Political Science, Åbo Akademi University, Finland

Henrik Serup Christensen is Academy of Finland Research Fellow at SAMFORSK, Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland. His current research project concerns the use of democratic innovations and the impact on democratic legitimacy.

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Published

2016-09-15

How to Cite

Lundell, K., Karjalainen, M., & Christensen, H. S. (2016). After the Merger:: Do Citizens Want Democratic Innovations?. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 20(3), 3–31. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v20i3.14929

Issue

Section

Original Articles

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