Abstract
The essential issue in this study is the relevance of the output of governance networks and the impact this relevance has on the democratic qualities of the network. The case study of regional policy planning in Ostrobothnia in Finland compares the network operations with democratic ideals found in governance network theory and deliberative democracy theory. The contrast between casual conversation and discussions for deciding crucial issues becomes a central point for understanding the impact of relevance. It is concluded that a policy network cannot be democratic until its output is relevant, and the suggestion put forward is that this may be accomplished through increasing publicity.
Originally published in Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, Vol 18, No 2. With permission of the School of Public Administration, University of Gothenburg.
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Nordberg, K. (2017). On the Democracy and Relevance of Governance Networks: The Case of Ostrobothnia, Finland. In: Revolutionizing Economic and Democratic Systems. Palgrave Studies in Democracy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship for Growth. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40633-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40633-6_6
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