The challenge of localizing public services – equal access to public services and democratic governance in the whole of Sweden

Access to high-quality public services throughout the country is a prerequisite for ensuring a vibrant business community and sustainable living conditions in Sweden´s countryside. But today this vision is far from reality.

Although rural citizens often pay higher taxes, their access to public services are inferior.Hard political decisions need to be made in the coming years.

The future for Sweden´s rural areas depends on the capacity of local communities to democratically address the challenges that come with decisions on the location of public services.

In order to create a sustainable society, decisions must be accepted or at least tolerated by the population.All around Sweden, initiatives are taken by local and regional political actors to defend public services and find innovative solutions. We must learn from both successes and setbacks.

This project aims to support learning between municipalities and regions.This project aims to increase knowledge about how political priorities and decision-making on the location of public services can be made in a legitimate way.This will be studied via two surveys – one to local politicians and one to citizens – as well as case studies.

In addition to academic publishing, the project team will actively work to disseminate the results among stakeholders.

The project and its results will strengthen the ability of regions and rural areas to achieve sustainable development and spread knowledge about how these goals can be achieved.