Work

Resistor or Meta-Governor? Role Conceptions of Local Elected Representatives in Participatory Trajectories

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The increasing use of participatory arrangements in local governance challenges the position and role of elected politicians. This article examines how local elected politicians think they should behave in such a shifting environment. It assembles images and sets of roles blending existing theoretical approaches. We test these conceptions empirically in a survey of local elected politicians in Flanders (Belgium). Our results show that representatives identify with a variety of images. They thus tend to endorse a broad range of roles in participatory governance. Ultimately, we end up with two main comprehensive and integrated sets: “meta-governor” and “resistor.” Variations in these sets can partially be explained by the position of politicians and their ideological convictions.

Source: Administration & Society

DOI: 10.1177/00953997251328678

Authors: Nina De Smedt, Willem Goutry, Kristof Steyvers, Bram Wauters

Institution: Ghent University

Language: English

Topic: Public Policy and Administration Research

Subfield: Public Administration

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

Funder: Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds UGent