The Future of Local Democracy: A Somewhat Dystopian View

Tomas Bergstrom discusses, with examples mainly from Sweden, the future of party-based local democracy. Could local democratic systems change as conditions change and remain vigorous? Long-term trends present a rather dystopian picture that seems to result in reduced discretion and depoliticisation. Changes that has taken place like globalisation, marketisation, the impact of social media and new roles for courts challenge local politicians’ chances of governing local matters. Decisions are taken at other levels, by other actors than elected politicians or in complex networks involving a number of partners and stakeholders. Historically local governments have been able to adjust to new conditions. Whether this is the case also now remains to be seen.