Nordisk Administrativt Tidsskrift

The civil servant and the New Public Management society – notes in the footsteps of Dag Hammarskjöld

2024-12-15T10:14:24+01:00

A parliamentary democracy includes that civil servants have restrictions on how they can express opinions and values. Elected politicians are responsible for setting out the prevailing line of executive power. However, in order for the individual to be able to feel trust in the public sector, there must be interaction between politicians and civil servants. A functioning interaction between civil servants and politicians is a prerequisite for the public sector to have the opportunity to deliver in a legitimate and efficient manner. The text is based on an article written by Dag Hammarskjöld in 1951 that explores the civil servants’ space to express values and speak out. Over the ensuing 70 years, the protection of fundamental rights has been codified and its management has been permeated by a market ethos. The civil servants' space to speak out faces new challenges as administrative policy takes on new forms and the human-centred approach is challenged.

Food security in the era of crisis preparedness

2025-04-26T09:15:43+02:00

Food security has become an increasingly pressing issue for many developed welfare states, and the vulnerability of intricately interconnected international food systems has led researchers to highlight the importance of local food systems in which municipalities play a crucial role. Against this backdrop, this study explores how issues of food security are reflected in municipal policy, planning, and administration. In addition, it examines how food security is understood and framed more broadly in relation to a local context in Sweden. Based on an extensive document analysis, the study clearly shows that food security issues are not addressed in any systematic way in municipal plans or policies. Through participant observations, it is also demonstrated that food security issues are raised in relation to discussions on crisis preparedness. However, these issues cannot be discussed in a systematic manner, as food security and crisis preparedness lack anchoring in formal policy, planning, and administrative structures. The study reveals an urgent need for — but also institutional challenges in – managing food security in a more structured way.

From output to input: Strategies and expectations around a changed resource allocation model in higher education

2025-04-01T15:14:45+02:00

This study examines the effects of changed resource allocation models for research funding at two faculties at a Swedish higher education institution. Previously, resources have been allocated based on performance-based indicators such as external research funding and publications, which has strengthened competition and differences between departments. The new model entails a shift from output- to input-oriented management, where grants are instead allocated based on the number of permanently employed researchers and lecturers. Through a qualitative analysis of 24 interviews with faculty, department heads and economists, the study highlights how this change affects strategic decisions, governance and the academic environment. The results show that respondents believe that the new models will increase predictability and enable long-term strategic planning, but at the same time raise questions about research incentives and academic excellence. The study contributes by presenting empirical examples of the handling of consequences of a governance on the output side and analysing the reasoning around changed governance.

The Finnish Chancellor of Justice as an appeal in attorney-at-law disciplinary cases

2025-05-15T07:13:52+02:00

The article analyses the Chancellor of Justice’s right and obligation to appeal against the Supervisory Board’s disciplinary decisions in lawyers’ cases. The Chancellor of Justice can and must lodge an appeal if the public interest so requires. Nevertheless, in some cases, the Chancellor of Justice is considered to bring an appeal without the public interest justifying it, and in individual cases the appeal may even appear to be incompatible with the public interest. Against this background, the article aims to determine when and how the Chancellor of Justice's right of appeal should be exercised. The conclusion drawn in the article is that the Chancellor of Justice should only lodge an appeal in cases where the public interest requires or justifies it. Furthermore, the Chancellor of Justice should justify in the appeal in an open and concrete manner how the public interest is asserted in the individual case. In addition, the Chancellor of Justice must observe proportionality in the use of the resources of the judiciary and take into account the limited resources for legal protection.