THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUNICIPAL DELEGATES AND OFFICIALS SEEN FROM A SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST VIEWPOINT

ABSTRACT

My essay aims at delineating the theoretical framework for a study of interaction between elected representatives and administrators in the organization of municipal government. There is some skepticism about the functioning of the democratic system in Finnish municipalities, while the administrators have a lot of power in the decision making. Therefore, in addition to sketching the process of interaction between the two parties the study also has as its goal to evaluate how well co-operation is being realized in the relationship between representatives and administrators, and what the conditions for improving it are.

I intend to use Sheldon Stryker’s “social-structural” version of symbolic interactionism as my theoretical starting point. However, I will need to supplement it with ideas from the theories of identities, power and social exchange. In a municipal organization members of the two actor groups occupy positions, and to each position several roles are attached. Each role is a building block in an actor’s composite of identities, and to each role-identity certain representational interests are attached. When the two parties interact, some of their interests match, some are conflictual. Conflicts of interest lead to the usage of power. Power is not altogether a negative force: via exchange and reciprocity even conflicts of interest may be turned to productive co-operation.