Mellem politik og administration: det kommunale topembedsværk
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/politica.v55i3.140276Keywords:
offentlig forvaltning, offentlig ledelse, embedsmænd, kommunerAbstract
Studier viser, at kommunale topembedsmænd prioriterer den politiske betjening højt. Dette fund er i den eksisterende litteratur blevet brugt til at sige noget om den rolle, som de kommunale topembedsmænd på tværs af lande indtager over for politikerne. Hidtil er dette hovedsagelig blevet undersøgt gennem spørgeskemaer, der fokuserer på kontaktmønstre og omfanget af den politiske betjening. I denne artikel argumenterer jeg i stedet for at studere rolleopfattelsen gennem interviews, hvilket giver adgang til erfaringsnære beskrivelser af topembedsmændenes rolleopfattelse. Gennem 12 interviews viser jeg, at de kommunale topembedsmænd opfatter deres rolle som oversættere, bindeled og mediatorer, hvilket indebærer en vekslende bevægelse mellem det politiske og administrative niveau. Embedsmændene finder det vigtigt at betjene det politiske niveau samtidig med, at de opfatter deres rolle som partipolitisk neutral. Det skaber et krydspres, som topembedsmændene forsøger at balancere ved at benytte tre strategier, der skal skærme dem mod uhensigtsmæssig politisk indblanding: De rådfører, oplærer og adgangsbegrænser.
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