Renewal of local government in Scandinavia: Effects for local politicians

During the last decade, numerous local government reforms influenced by New Public Management (NPM) ideology have taken place throughout Scandinavia, Based on case studies in three Scandinavian municipalities, the article dis cusses the effects of introducing strategic political management on the rol e of councillors. We observe a conflict between NPM-inspired management ide as and a deeply institutionalised, traditional view of councillors as repre sentatives of the citizens, advocating peoples' interest, defining needs, s etting priorities and controlling implementation. Across national and local contexts, councillors find that the reforms challenge their traditional ro le and have strengthened administrative influence, Historical institutional ism seems to be a fruitful concept to understand resistance towards taking on new role models.