Democratic implications of public organizations

• The author suggests a Weberian methodology, based on theories of democracy and organization, for assessing normative implications of public organizations. How different organizational models contribute to (re)create democracy and legitimacy is scrutinized with reference to a Swedish IT program. The conclusion is that a system management organization will be an appropriate choice for dealing with "tame" problems, but it will at the same time promote an elitist democratization. In contrast, a development organization will be more appropriate in dealing with complex problems, and it will most likely promote discursive democratization.

Keyword

public organization

evaluation

tame

wicked problems

democracy

legitimacy

policy implementation

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)