Contested Administrations: Conflict Resolution and Public Managers

Abstract

The aim of this panel is to analyse how local administration and street level bureaucrats handle contested issues and how that is related to the improvement of the quality of democracy in different democratic contexts. The panel is concerned with public administration’s capability to address and possibly resolve contested issues and conflicts in order to increase equality, strengthen processes of integration, and build social solidarity in democratic systems. The panel is formulated in relation to a research project in which scholars within public administration and peace and conflict studies from Lund University in Sweden and Roskilde University in Denmark collaborate. We welcome both theoretical as well as empirical papers addressing questions such as: - What types of conflicts do street level bureaucrats confront in their work and how are the conflicts addressed? - Who is involved in the conflicts? Does anyone facilitate acts of reconciliation, and if so how are inclusive processes framed and managed in different settings? - What is the institutional design for addressing contested issues? To what degree are the processes public and transparent? - Which conflict approaches and tools are applied? What are the perceptions of the roles and identities of the different actors involved? - To what extent do the democratic institutions through their conflict resolution endeavours contribute to democratic quality in terms of equality, integration and social solidarity?

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