Municipal amalgamations of 1952-1974

How did they become politically possible?

Authors

  • Gissur Ó Erlingsson Centre for Municipal Strategy Studies, Linköping University
  • Erik Wångmar Department of Social Sciences, Linnaeus University
  • Jörgen Ödalen Department of Political Science, Uppsala University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v14i3/4.16282

Keywords:

Municipal amalgamations, Institutional change, Social conflict, Evolutionary explanation

Abstract

During 1952–1974 the Swedish municipal structure was radically reformed. In 22 years the number of municipalities was reduced from 2 498 to 278. What makes such large-scale reforms possible? We answer this question by analyzing the politics behind the amalgamation reforms. We investigate (a) the main arguments for the amalgamations, (b) the degree of consensus behind the decisions, (c) if any alternatives were presented in the debates leading up to the reforms, and finally (d) how it was politically possible to push through these reforms. Two different models of explanation are put to the test; evolutionary accounts, which see the amalgamations as rational adaptations to changing social and economic circumstances are contrasted with a social conflict perspective, which explains the amalgamations in terms of their distributional consequences. We argue that an analysis of Sweden’s municipal amalgamation reforms supports the social conflict perspective.

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Author Biographies

Gissur Ó Erlingsson, Centre for Municipal Strategy Studies, Linköping University

Gissur Ó Erlingsson is a doctor of philosophy and associate professor of political science, research assistant at the Centre for Municipal Strategy Studies, Linköping University.

Erik Wångmar, Department of Social Sciences, Linnaeus University

Erik Wångmar is a doctor of philosophy and associate professor of history, senior lecturer in political science at the Department of Social Sciences, Linnaeus University.

Jörgen Ödalen, Department of Political Science, Uppsala University

Jörgen Ödalen is a PhD in political science and researcher at the Department of Political Science, Uppsala University.

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Published

2010-12-15

How to Cite

Erlingsson, G. Ó, Wångmar, E., & Ödalen, J. (2010). Municipal amalgamations of 1952-1974: How did they become politically possible?. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 14(3/4), 3–36. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v14i3/4.16282

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3/4 (2010)

Section

Original Articles

License

Creative Commons License

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Authors contributing to Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration agree to publish their articles under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 license. This means means articles are free for anybody to read and download, and to copy and disseminate for non-commercial purposes as long as appropriate credit is given, a link is provided to the license, and any changes made are clearly indicated. Authors retain copyright of their work.

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