Local Government Legitimacy – Conceptual and Empirical Challenges

Abstract

This panel aims at further exploring the issue of local government legitimacy – conceptually and empirically. It builds on previous research that has been carried out but aims at specifying and sheading new light on the matter. What does local government legitimacy mean, how can it be understood and how can it be investigated? Is there anything specific with local government legitimacy, compared to for example the legitimacy of a state? Papers will also explore the current state of the legitimacy of local government. Is it seriously under challenge due to the combined influence of the financial crisis, the erosion of municipal functions due to privatization and re-centralization, and the increasing complexity and wickedness of the problems that municipalities are expected to handle? Some papers will focus on conceptual and theoretical issues whereas others will be mainly empirically orientated, either dealing with specific cases or analyzing local government legitimacy in a comparative perspective.

Title	Details
A Comparative Approach to Local Government Legitimacy	View Paper Details
Citizen Satisfaction with Local Public Services in Swedish Municipalities	View Paper Details
In which sense is there something like local government legitimacy?	View Paper Details
Blame where it is Due? – The Impact of Responsibility Judgments on the Performance-Trust Link at the Local Level	View Paper Details