Municipal Amalgamations and the Democratic Functioning of Local Councils: The Case of The Danish 2007 Structural Reform

• Published in: Local government studies Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 569 - 585
• Main Authors: Kjaer, Ulrik, Hjelmar, Ulf, Leth Olsen, Asmus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01-08-2010; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Analysis; Central Government; Councillors; Councils; Decision making; Democracy; Denmark; Governmental reform; influence; Law; Local Government; municipal amalgamations; Perception; Political reform; Politics; Reform; size and local democracy; Structural change; Surveys; Denmark
• ISSN: 0300-3930; 1743-9388
• DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2010.494112

This article discusses the effects of the structural reform in Denmark in 2007 - where a large number of municipalities were amalgamated - on local councillors' influence on decisions taken in the local political realm. The analysis uses data from two large surveys, a pre-reform survey (2003) and a post-reform survey (2009). The analysis shows that the amalgamations have led to an increase in the perceived influence of leading councillors vis-à-vis other councillors and a decrease in the perceived influence of the council vis-à-vis its top administrative officers. Furthermore, it is found that there is an increase in the number of councillors who find that local political decisions are determined by laws and rules from central government, but at the same time it is shown that this increase cannot be ascribed to the amalgamations.