A conference was arranged in Oslo, June 4—7, 1966, by the Political Science
Associations of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, which included 80 participants
from the four countries.

The conference focused upon three problem areas: parliamentary research, electoral
research, and local government. Four plenary lectures were given:

Professor Jan-Magnus JANSSON, University of Helsinki, "Aspekter av den
parlamentariska processen." (Aspects of the parliamentary process.)
Professor Stein ROKKAN, University of Bergen, "Modeller i komparativ valgforskning."
(Models in comparative voting research.)
Amanuensis Jan STEHOUWER, University of Aarhus, "Stabilitet i dansk
välgeradferd. Nogle resultater fra en ökologisk anlyse av folketingsvalgene
1947 til og med 1964." (Stability in voting behavior in Denmark. Some results
from an ecological analysis of the Folketing elections 1947—1964.)
Professor Nils STJERNQUIST, University of Lund, "Parlamentens funktion
i administrationssamhället." (The function of parliaments in the managerial
society.)

Three panels were arranged in which a total of 25 papers were presented:

1. Local Government

Chairman: Professor Jörgen WESTERSTÅHL, University of Göteborg.
Papers: Dan BRÄNDSTRÖM, University of Umeå, "PM angående nomineringarna

till kommunala val." (Some notes on the nominations at local elections.)
Voitto HELANDER, University of Turku, "Kommunalfullmäktiges
representationsroll." (The representative role of the communal council.)
Torstein HJELLUM, University of Bergen, "Politiseringen av lokalstyret
i Norge: endringsrater, forklaringsfaktorer og virkninger." (Politicization
of local politics in Norway: change rates, explanatory factors, and effects.)
Björn MOLIN, University of Göteborg, "Analys av administrativa
beslut." (Analysis of administrative decision-making.)
Bertil ROSLIN, Åbo Akademi, "Den kommunala självförvaltningens
ekspansion." (The expansion of local self-government.)
Lars STRÖMBERG, University of Göteborg, "Lokala frågor i kommunala
valrörelser." (Local issues in communal elections.)

2. Parliamentary Research

Chairman: Professor Erik RASMUSSEN, University of Aarhus.

Papers: Pär-Erik BACK, University of Umeå, "Parlamentsledamoten som specia-

list." (The parliamentarian as an expert.)
Torstein HJELLUM and Kjell SALHUS, University of Bergen, "Rekruttering
til Storting oi? Statsråd i Norge 1814—1965. Opplegg av et hullkortarkiv
for biografisk informasjon for stortingsrepresentanter og regjeringsmedlemmer."
(Recruitment to parliament and cabinet in Norway 1814—
1965. Design for a data archive on biographical information for members
of Storting and cabinets.)
Väinö HUUSKA, University of Tampere, "Påtryckningsgruppernas representation
och verksamhet i Finlands riksdag." (Representation and
activities of pressure groups in the Finnish parliament.)
Gunnar NORDENSTAM, University of Gothenburg, "Politisk liberalisering
i Högsta Sovjets plenarförhandlingar Metodfrågor." (Political
liberalization in the plenary deliberations of the Supreme Soviet.)
Pekka NYHOLM, University of Helsinki, "Om analys av parlamentsomröstningar
i mångapartisystem." (On the analysis of parliamentary
behavior in multiparty systems.)
Mogens N. PEDERSEN, University of Aarhus, "Graden af enighed i det
danske Folketing vedrorende regjeringens lovforslag 1945—1965." (The
amount of consensus in the Danish Folketing toward government bills
1945-1965.)
Folke VERNERSSON, University of Lund, "Undersökning av motioner
avgivna i den svenska riksdagen under vårsessionen åren 1948, 1956 och
1964." (A study oi motions in the Swedish parliament for the spring
sessions 1948, 1956 and 1964.)

3. Electoral Behavior

Chairman: Professor Pertti PKSONEN, University of Tampere.

Papers: Ingemar GLANS, University of Lund, "Vänsterradikala väljare i Dan-

mark och Norge." (Radical left voters in Denmark and Norway.)
Svennik HOEYER, Institute for Social Research "En redegjörelse for
avisundersökelsen 1965—67 ved Institutt for samfunnsforskning i Oslo."
(The design of a study on the press 1965—67 undertaken at the Institute
for Social Research in Oslo.)
Svennik HOEYER, Institute for Social Research, "Politisk engasjement
som determinant for avisvalg — noen bemerkninger til antate sammenheng."
(Political involvement as a determinant factor in the choice of
newspapers — some remarks on assumptions about relationship.)
Tapio KOSKIAHO, University of Tampere, "Prästkandidaterna i Finland,
1919-1966." (Clergymen as political candidates in Finland, 1919-1966.)
Bengt MATTI, University of Uppsala, "Kommunismen i Norrbotten."
(Communism in Norrbotten.)
Tuomo MARTIKAINEN, University of Helsinki, "Några synpunkter på
utforskandet av politiseringen." (Some observations on the research of
politicization.)
Pertti PESONEN, University of Tampere, "PM om en intervjuundersök

ning rörande riksdagsvalen i Finland år 1966." (Notes concerning a voter
survey at the parliamentary elections in Finland in 1966.)
Stein ROKKAN and Henry VALEN, "Chr. Michelsens Institutt og Institutt
for samfunnsforskning: Det f elles valgforskningsprogram. Översikt over
undersökelser og publikasjoner 1957—1966." (Chr. Michelsen Institute and
the Institute for Social Research: the joint program of electoral research.
A review of investigations and publications, 1957—1966.)
Lars RUDEBECK, University of Uppsala, "Samband mellan valdeltagande
och samhällsmodernisering i Mexico vid 1960-talets början." (The
relationship between vote participation and modernization in Mexico in
the beginning of the 1960'5.)
Sten SPARRE NILSON, University of Oslo, "Polarisering' som et begrep
i valgforskning og i statsvitenskapelig teori." ("Polarization" as a concept
in electoral research and in political science theory.)
Tuttu TARKIAINEN, The Finnish School of Business Administration,
Helsinki, "Några synpunkter beträffande vallagstiftningens inverkan på
partiförhållandena i Finland." (Some observations concerning the impact
of the electoral system on the political parties in Finland.)
Henry VALEN, Institute for Social Research and Per TORSVIK, University
of Oslo, "ökningen i valgdeltagelsen ved kommunevalget i 1963 og
stortingsvalget i 1965." (The increase in turnout at the local election of
1963 and the Storting election of 1965.)

This conference, which was a first attempt to bring together political scientists from the Scandinavian countries, proved both interesting and stimulating. A major decision growing out of the meeting was the plan for closer cooperation in the future among students of local government. The large-scale investigations in this area which have recently been started in Sweden will serve as a model and participants from other countries indicated great interest in launching similar projects. Hopefully these efforts will provide data for comparative analysis on the character of local government in different political systems.

Voting behavior data are currently available in all four countries and it was agreed that collaboration among researchers in a project of comparative analysis would be highly desirable. In the panel on parliamentary research a plan emerged for a joint study of functional specialization among the legislators.

It was the consensus among the participants that it is essential to encourage the establishment of a common political science milieu in the Scandinavian countries and to stimulate cross-national research efforts. With this view in mind, it was decided that future Scandinavian political science conferences should be held at regular intervals, with the next one scheduled to be held in Finland in 1968.