Klokare politiker? En fallstudie av Skånedialogen som demokratiutvecklande metod

Sammanfattning: In recent years the debate on local democracy and its gradual weakening has become increasingly lively. Citizens’ lack of commitment and engagement has been recognized as one factor of explanation to this decrease. The principle of a representative democracy is being jeopardized. This thesis is a case study of Skånedialogen in Skåne Regional Council. Deliberative polls were developed by James S. Fishkin and his method is the fundamental base in Skånedialogen. As a theoretical ground we use different explanations, electoral, participatory and deliberative democracy, for and against the importance of the citizen’s influence in the decision making process. The aim is to explore and discuss whether or not Skånedialogen is a successful method to develop the representative democracy or add a complementary value. We investigate if the politicians have benefited and utilized the information they gained, attending Skånedialogen, in their decision making process. Our empirical data is obtained from qualitative interviews that we carried out with six politicians who have attended Skånedialogen’s deliberative meetings. The study shows that the practical implications do not correspond with what the civil servants are advocating or with what the method implies.