This chapter discusses four features which together form the backbone of what is called the Swedish administrative model. These four features are the “dualism” (i.e. the relatively high degree of autonomy that Swedish state agencies enjoy in relation to the government), openness, decentralization, and corporatism. Each feature’s historical and constitutional foundation is discussed, as well as various tensions surrounding them. It is argued that the oldest features (the dualism and the openness) are still highly institutionalized while the younger ones (decentralization and corporatism) have weakened in recent decades. However, it is also argued that administrative practices linked to the dualism and the openness have changed quite rapidly in recent decades, giving these features the appearance of façades. In other words, government “talk” remains intact while actual government changes.

This article investigates the every-day street-level practice of green public procurement (GPP) in Sweden, a country with one of the most decentralised systems of public administration within the European Union (EU). The street-level procurement officers in Swedish local and regional government are in charge of purchases estimated to represent between 10 and 15 per cent of Sweden's GDP. This article examines the constraining and enabling factors behind the individual procurement officer's choice of green procurement in textiles and clothing through a combination of qualitative interviews and a review of documentary sources. The analysis shows that while indirect support through European and national soft regulation and policy advice is imperative for 'greening' procurement, the direct factors which influence the local outcome of GPP comprises factors on the local level: political commitment and environmental knowledge; the organisational structure of local government; and the local interpretation of the regulatory framework. This study shows that a decentralised structure has possibilities of furthering ambitions of buying green if there are committed politicians and public officials, an optimal level of internal centralisation and an external support structure of knowledge and enabling rules.

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Hall P. Opportunities for democracy in cross-border regions? Lessons from the Øresund Region, Regional Studies. This article critically assesses the democratic character of cross-border regions within the European Union. Cross-border cooperation could be an experimental field for the project of making the Union more democratic through transnational partnerships, especially since large parts of cross-border policy formation are done by the local and regional authorities. The article analyses the democratic state of the Øresund Region around the Sound between Sweden and Denmark. The study demonstrates that, rather than bringing spearhead ideas of democratic organization, cross-border cooperation in the Øresund Region tends to perpetuate the problem of citizen participation within the Union. The Øresund project – and comparative evidence suggests the same pattern in other cross-border cooperations within the EU – is characterized by a relatively closed network of public agencies, chaired by a few leading politicians and senior public officials. Their strategies of regional integration emphasize individual consumption instead of public participation, and their formal representative position is unsettled. Hall P. La possibilité de relations démocratiques transfrontalières? Des leçons à tirer de la région d'Øresund, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche à faire la critique du caractère démocratique des régions transfrontalières de l'Union européenne. La coopération transfrontalière pourrait s'avérer un domaine expérimental pour le projet qui cherche à rendre l'Union plus démocratique par moyen des partenariats transnationaux, surtout donné que la mise au point de la politique transfrontalière relève dans une large mesure des administrations locales et régionales. L'article analyse l'état démocratique de la région d'Øresund, délimitée par le détroit entre la Suède et le Danemark. L'étude démontre que, plutôt que d'apporter de nouvelles idées sur l'organisation démocratique, la coopération transfrontalière dans la région d'Øresund a tendance à perpétuer la question du civisme au sein de l'Union. Le projet Øresund se caractérise par un réseau relativement fermé d'agences publiques, présidées par quelques éminents hommes politiques et des hauts fonctionnaires - des preuves comparatives laissent supposer que cette même situation persiste suite à d'autres coopérations transfrontalières au sein de l'Ue. Leurs stratégies d'intégration régionale mettent l'accent sur la participation individuelle plutôt que collective, et leur position représentative officielle est instable. Démocratie Responsabilité Régions transfrontalières Région d'Øresund Interrégional Hall P. Chancen für Demokratie in grenzübergreifenden Regionen? Lektionen aus der Öresund-Region, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag werden die demokratischen Eigenschaften der grenzübergreifenden Regionen innerhalb der Europäischen Union kritisch bewertet. Eine grenzüberschreitende Zusammenarbeit könnte ein Experimentierfeld für das Projekt bilden, die Europäische Union durc...

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