Tommy Tranvik

The Rise and Fall of Popular Mass Movements Organizational Change and Globalization - the Norwegian Case

This article is about the erosion of the Norwegian democratic infrastructure, with particular emphasis on the causes and effects of the transformation of the voluntary sector and the decline of social movements. We are seeing a turning away from large-scale ideological mass movements and an increase in smaller and nimbler associations that are better at catering for individual needs and wishes, but poorer in plugging members into the central decision-making institutions. This is putting increasing pressure on the Norwegian social contract, which has been characterized by high levels of institutional centralization balanced by high levels of citizen control. We relate these important changes in the democratic infrastructure to the impact of globalization, highlighting structural similarities between globalization and the new organizational forms of political or civic participation. Our argument is that globalization is a process that has particular structural characteristics, and that these characteristics are giving shape to the new forms of civic participation that are now emerging in Norway (and probably also in the rest of Scandinavia).

Reform failure: The processes of devolution and centralisation in Norway

Abstract This article addresses the relationship between central and local government in Norway after two decades of devolution reforms. The aim of the reform process was to provide more freedom for local government. However, recent research has revealed that local government is actually less autonomous now than before. We argue that one reason for this is new regulation and control measures initiated by central government. Based on interviews with MPs, cabinet members and high-ranking civil servants, we argue that these regulation and control measures have been introduced and strengthened in order to counteract the effects of devolution reforms.

The state of IT governance: patterns of variation at the central government level in Norway

The aim of this article is to analyze IT governance practices in the Norwegian government ministries. We seek to identify the ministries IT governance regimes, and, more specifically, the different government sectors policies and principles regarding the use of ICTs. Moreover, we seek to explain differences in IT governance regimes across ministries. n nThe empirical evidence has been collected from policy documents, budget proposals and other document. These data have been supplemented by qualitative interviews with key civil servants in the various government ministries. The analysis of the data is based on a theoretical framework consisting of four IT governance models and a classification of the functions that ICTs fulfill within the various government sectors. Our findings indicate that there is some correlation between IT governance models and ICT functions.

The Visible Employee - Technological Governance and Control of the Mobile Workforce

Field technology is electronic systems or equipment designed to capture and communicate data on workers in the field so that employers can manage, document or inspect the behavior and job performance of the mobile workforce. In this article, we argue that the deployment of various types of field technology can be interpreted as the technological realization of popular reform programs that have been introduced in the public and the private sector over the last three decades, especially risk management and New Public Management.