Reserved but Principled – and Sometimes Functional: Explaining Decentralisation Preferences Among Regional Bureaucrats

Authors

  • Thomas Margel Myksvoll Norce Norwegian Research Centre and Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Norway

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v24i3.8605

Keywords:

decentralization reform, regional administrations, administrative preferences

Abstract

In recent decades, decentralisation measures have been implemented in most advanced democracies. While such reforms may be driven by subnational pressures and demands for empowerment, the central government usually has the deciding power to decentralise. Literature on regional preference has proliferated since the 1990s, though we know little of regional administrative preferences in relation to this process. As policy formulators and implementers, they are directly affected by dispersion of authority downwards, as it directly affects their organisational structures and portfolio of responsibilities. This article analyses decentralisation preferences among regional bureaucrats in Norway in the context of the 2015-2020 Regional Government Reform. Utilising an original survey and testing five explanations, the bureaucrats are generally reserved about taking on additional functions, with support for increasing their portfolio primarily explained by a principled motivation to increase regional autonomy, followed by feelings of regional attachment. Functional arguments also matter, though to a lesser extent. The bureaucrats’ principled, rather than functional, attitude towards regionalisation deviates from theoretical premises of decentralisation literature, while also challenging more underlying notions of bureaucratic thinking, inviting further research into how these dynamics manifest themselves among members of the civil service.

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Author Biography

Thomas Margel Myksvoll, Norce Norwegian Research Centre and Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Norway

Thomas Myksvoll is a PhD-candidate employed at Norce Norwegian Research Centre, affiliated with the Norwegian Research Council funded project “Reshaping the Map of Local and Regional Self-Government”, a study of the Norwegian Local Government Reform (NGLR) processes 2014- 2019. Prior to the PhD, Myksvoll received a master’s degree in comparative politics from the University of Bergen (2016-2018), and a bachelor’s degree in European studies (2013-2016). Central topics of interest for the author include subnational reforms (decentralisation and territorial consolidation), preference formation theories, bureaucratic decision-making and behaviour, and multilevel governance.

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Published

2020-09-15

How to Cite

Myksvoll, T. M. (2020). Reserved but Principled – and Sometimes Functional: Explaining Decentralisation Preferences Among Regional Bureaucrats. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 24(3), 73–101. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v24i3.8605

Issue

Section

Original Articles