Formal institutions versus informal decision-making

On parties, delegation and accountability in local government

Authors

  • Colin Copus Local Governance Research Unit, DeMontfort University, UK
  • Gissur Ó. Erlingsson Centre for Municipality Studies, Linköping University, Sweden

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v17i1.16150

Keywords:

Political parties, Local government, Formal institutions, Informal institutions, Accountability

Abstract

It has been argued that formal institutions are weak in local government. It therefore follows that ideal-typical models of formal institutions that are supposed to regulate behavior in local government are poor at capturing what goes on in local politics. By comparing two different institutional settings – Sweden and England – we demonstrate the importance played by political parties in dominating the informal processes that influence de facto decision-making and actual political outcomes in local government. The high degree of informality found in such relatively different systems such as Sweden and England have troublesome implications for democratic accountability. This makes it pressing to explore to what extent citizens’ and party members’ control over local politics is meaningful even at the local level, where parties operate in close proximity to citizens and where public engagement and participation may be expected to perform at its best.

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Author Biographies

Colin Copus, Local Governance Research Unit, DeMontfort University, UK

Colin Copus is Professor of Local Politics and Director of the Local Governance Research Unit, De Montfort University, Leicester, England. His main research interests are: local political leadership, local party politics and the role of the councillor.

Gissur Ó. Erlingsson, Centre for Municipality Studies, Linköping University, Sweden

Gissur Ó. Erlingsson is Associate professor in Political Science at the Centre for Municipality Studies, Linköping University, Sweden. His research is mainly focused on political parties, populism, institutional change and public corruption.

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Published

2013-03-15

How to Cite

Copus, C., & Erlingsson, G. Ó. (2013). Formal institutions versus informal decision-making: On parties, delegation and accountability in local government. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 17(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v17i1.16150

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