Folkets röst skapar olika ekon: Det kommunala folkinitiativet

In this paper two cases of local public initiatives have been compared. The cases, taking place in municipalities outside Stockholm with political and socio-economical similarities, turned out in two very different ways. The purpose of this paper has been to find out why that was. Institutional theories combined with theories of political adaptation were used. As a source of data, a total of nine individuals essential to the progress of these initiatives were interviewed. Media and local government documentation were also used. Differences within the decision-making process that were of importance were found to be the role of a united political opposition, creating political pressure on the majority to adapt and change the political process. The municipality where the public initiative was successful proved to have an opposition that cooperated on a higher degree, whereas the opposition in the municipality where the initiative failed was embossed by oppositional fragmentation due to political negotiation. The main result of the analysis is that local politicians seem to be unwilling to include a public initiative in the local decision-making process. Endorsement to do so seems to be necessary