Parliamentarism in Norwegian regions

Project summary

This project investigates whether the change from consensus democracy to parliamentary rule has effects on decision- making style, steering capacity, accountability and democracy, based on data from four Norwegian counties. We also ask how the legitimacy of the political system is affected. Our findings indicate a more majoritarian style of decision making and increased steering capacity. There is also an increase in accountability, because the reform has created a clearer division of labour between politicians and administration and more visible dividing lines between those who are responsible for a particular policy decision and those who are not. Regarding democracy and legitimacy the outcomes are more mixed. The opposition politicians show a high degree of frustration, and are reporting disempowerment and alienation. This frustration is caused both by internal factors in the organisation of county politics and in the constraints on county politics imposed from the national level, and may lead to a decreased legitimacy for the political system.