Local democracy and citizen involvement

- Seminar – Reykjavik – the 6. of September 2010

PROGRAM

• Presentation of us

• A situation report after the local government reform in Denmark

• The democracy program: Five challenges • Citizen involvement - Danish style • Democracy strategy in Gardabær

• Developing local democracy and citizen involvement - Danish cases

• Citizen involvement in Icelandic counties

Anne Tortzen

Søren Frilander

A situation report- The local government reform and citizen involvement in Denmark

AGENDA

oThe challenges from the reform

oHow has local governments reacted? oWhere are we now?

The Local Government Reform

- A new public sector

o From 269 to 98 municipalities

o Average size increased from 19.000 to 55.000

o From 4577 to 2520 local politicians

o More professional and viable municipalities

o Vision: “One entry to the public sector”

o Responsible for almost all citizen directed areas

”More tasks located in the municipalities will strengthen democracy because the decisions are now made locally.

There must be made an effort to spread out democracy and involve citizens actively. The local governments of the future must find new ways to interact with citizens in the local decision making process”

- From the agreement behind the reform

The reform and (local) democracy

How did it go….? “The local government reform with its amalgamation of municipalities have

been costly for local democracy since political confidence and self confidence has fallen in local communities”

- KREVI, june 2009

” As a whole there is reason to conclude that local democracy is taken very seriously in the municipalities. The general picture appears to be a very healthy and active local democracy after the local government reform”

- Ministry of the interior status rapport on local democracy, june 2009

Who has especially been working on

developing local democracy?

- Amalgamated municipalities

- Large municipalities developed a

37 % have developed a general strategy for democracy

32 % created a special committee to develop local democracy

Which methods did they use? 74% of the municipalities involved citizens in the amalgamations

process

and the development of the new municipality

Others

Informal dialoguegroups

Citizen meetings

Local councils

Hearings of citizen groups

Where are we now?

CRISIS!!!

Two scenarios

1. Less priority to citizen involvement

2. Citizen involvement as a tool to meet the crisis head on

DEMOCRACY PROGRAM 2010-11

- A work in progress

New project focus on:

Citizen involvement in a time of crisis

Using case studies of citizen interaction as a tool in drawing up the budget

Examples how citizens dialogue can help local governments make economically sound decisions.