En ren partiangelägenhet? - Om regionala och lokala intressen i författningspolitiken

Abstract

A purely party matter? - On regional and local interests in constitutional policy

The purpose of this article is to examine regional and local interest organizations and their participation in and influence on the field of constitutional policy. This is done by studying the Swedish Association for Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) and its relationship with the Committee on Constitutional Reform (2004-2008). A common assumption in the literature is that the policy process on constitutional matters is dominated by parties in government and parliament, and that interest groups do not participate. The empirical investigation presented here, consisting of a large number of interviews and analysis of official documents, shows that SALAR not only participated in the work of the Committee on Constitutional Reform, but also exercised some influence on the committee’s final report. Therefore, the article argues that the view of constitutional policy as a purely party matter no longer is valid. Instead, the participation and influence of regional and local interests must also be recognized.