Indigenous People’s Self-governing Bodies and the Role of Civil Society: The Case of the Norwegian Sámi

In this paper, the authors look at the relationship between the Sámi Parliament in Norway and the Sámi civil society as seen both from the perspective of the party leaders and representatives, the civil society organisations, and the voters. While strong civil societies are important in ensuring responsive democratic governance systems in general, they may be particularly important in a political system such as the Sámi. Sámi politics operates within the Norwegian unitary state, where the tension between Sámi autonomy and integration into the Norwegian is systemic and where the pressure towards increased co-optation is constantly present. The authors find that Sámi interest and participation in civil society are at the same level as that of the population at large when the authors measure participation in Sámi and Norwegian organisations combined, but only one out of four memberships are in a strictly Sámi organisation. The authors also find that the level and type of contact between the parties represented in the Sámi Parliament and Sámi civil society organisations is very limited, except for organisational contact with the Sámi Parliaments’ administration for information and services. Little points in the direction of these organisations having an important advocacy role. Their control- and opposition role is weak. The rise of a new challenger party, Nordkalottfolket, becoming the second largest party in the election of 2021, breaking with what makes Sámi politics indigenous, seems not to change the structure of the relationship between civil society organisations and the Sámi Parliament.publishedVersio

Det samiske sivilsamfunnet i Sametinget og i samepolitikken

A vibrant civil society is important in a democratic system, and society’s contact with, opposition to and control of the political system is crucial for the democratic system to survive. In this chapter we look at the relationship between the Sámi Parliament and Sámi civil society from several perspectives: those of the party leaders and representatives, the civil society organizations, and the voters. We find that Sámi interest and participation in civil society is at the same level as that of the population at large when we measure participation in Sámi and Norwegian organizations combined. We also find that the level and type of contact between the parties represented in the Sámi Parliament and Sámi civil society organizations is limited, and that little points to these organizations having an important advocacy role. Their control and opposition role is weak. We conclude that the political role of Sámi civil society is weak and challenging for the Sámi political system and democracy.publishedVersio

Medlemskap og demokrati: Må vi tå passivt medlemskap på alvor?

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Online Political Activism: The use of new information and communication technology during phases of political mobilization

Research suggests that the Internet is especially well suited for grassroot organizations and ad hoc political mobilization. Still we know less about how activists actually use the new technologies and whether this varies during the different phases of political mobilization. This research paper analyzes how a single issue activist group used internet in order to mobilize, inform and influence one specific political decision. The results depicts that the activists used technologies in purposeful and rational ways. The activists’ website functioned as a broadcast channel to the outside world and politicians. The email list had an internal function and was used to delegate concrete tasks and to formulate arguments that could tip the balance in favor of the activists. It was not intended to create internal debate, but to mobilize quickly in order to change a political decision. When the activists eventually achieved their goal, the network fell apart.Forskning på politisk deltakelse har vist at internett kan være en spesielt godt egnet kanal for grasrotorganisasjoner og for politisk mobilisering på ad-hoc basis. Imidlertid vet vi lite om hvordan aktivister faktisk bruker den nye teknologien og hvorvidt dette varierer mellom ulike faser i en mobiliseringsprosess. Dette notatet presenterer en analyse av hvordan en enkelt aktivistgruppe brukte internett for å mobilisere, informere og øve innflytelse på en bestemt politisk beslutning. Resultatet viser at aktivistgruppen benyttet nettet på en rasjonell måte for å nå sine mål. Aktivistenes hjemmeside fungerte som en informasjonskanal overfor offentligheten og de folkevalgte. E-postlisten hadde en intern funksjon og ble brukt til å delegere konkrete oppgaver og til å formulere argumenter som kunne snu utfallet i aktivistenes favør. Den fungerte i liten grad som et medium for interne debatter, men derimot som et redskap for rask politisk mobilisering med sikte på å endre et politisk vedtak. Da aktivistene til slutt nådde målet sitt, løste nettverket seg opp

Det samiske sivilsamfunnet i Sametinget og i samepolitikken

A vibrant civil society is important in a democratic system, and society’s contact with, opposition to and control of the political system is crucial for the democratic system to survive. In this chapter we look at the relationship between the Sámi Parliament and Sámi civil society from several perspectives: those of the party leaders and representatives, the civil society organizations, and the voters. We find that Sámi interest and participation in civil society is at the same level as that of the population at large when we measure participation in Sámi and Norwegian organizations combined. We also find that the level and type of contact between the parties represented in the Sámi Parliament and Sámi civil society organizations is limited, and that little points to these organizations having an important advocacy role. Their control and opposition role is weak. We conclude that the political role of Sámi civil society is weak and challenging for the Sámi political system and democracy

Associations online: Barriers for Using Web-based Communication in Voluntary Organizations

Despite the high adoption level of Facebook and other social network sites (SNSs) in Norway, local level voluntary associations have not embraced SNSs to the same degree. Regular websites are the main web representation, and information provision is the main function of the associations’ web representations. Using quantitative data on website content and organizational characteristics we have analyzed which factors hinder SNS adoption. The results point to size and complexity of associations and to age-based digital divides among members as important factors for having a profile on a SNS. It seems that a certain numerical point must be reached in terms of organizational and community size, for SNSs to be useful. Also, older members, smaller economy and a low degree of formalization in associations might hamper the implementation of SNSs in associations. Using Norway as a critical case, this article contributes new knowledge about web communication in voluntary organizations, an increasingly important field of research internationally

A broad alliance of civil society organizations on climate change mitigation: political Strength or legitimizing support?

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Frivillighet i Norge : Senterets sluttrapport etter 5 år

Denne rapporten oppsummerer forskningen som har blitt utført av Senter for forskning på sivilsamfunn og frivillig sektor i perioden 2008–2013. I denne rapporten, som blir publisert i anledning senterets avslutningskonferanse, gir vi en oversikt over noen av de viktigste forskningsfunnene og resultatene senteret har bidratt med i den femårsperioden det har eksistert. Rapporten oppsummerer de 22 forskningsrapportene som ble publisert i senterets rapportserie i denne perioden langs de tre hovedtemaene som har strukturert senterets forskning: Deltakelse i frivillige organisasjoner, endringsprosesser i sivilsamfunnet, og de politiske og økonomiske rammevilkårene som danner grunnlaget for frivillige aktiviteter Senter for forskning på sivilsamfunn og frivillig sektor er et 5-årig forskningsprogram som i hovedsak har vært finansiert av Kulturdepartementet og Barne, likestillings- og inkluderingsdepartementet. Senteret er et samarbeidsprosjekt mellom Institutt for samfunnsforskning i Oslo og Uni Rokkansenteret/UiB i Bergen, og har involvert 22 forskere fra de to institusjonene. I tillegg har fire masterstudenter og en doktorgradsstudent vært knyttet til senteret. I perioden 2008–2013 har senteret gjennomført 35 forskningsprosjekter, publisert 22 rapporter, 41 vitenskapelige artikler og 6 bøker. Fire rapporter og fire bøker er under utarbeidelse da denne rapporten gikk i trykken, og vil bli utgitt etter senterets avslutning

Online Political Activism: The use of new information and communication technology during phases of political mobilization

Research suggests that the Internet is especially well suited for grassroot organizations and ad hoc political mobilization. Still we know less about how activists actually use the new technologies and whether this varies during the different phases of political mobilization. This research paper analyzes how a single issue activist group used internet in order to mobilize, inform and influence one specific political decision. The results depicts that the activists used technologies in purposeful and rational ways. The activists’ website functioned as a broadcast channel to the outside world and politicians. The email list had an internal function and was used to delegate concrete tasks and to formulate arguments that could tip the balance in favor of the activists. It was not intended to create internal debate, but to mobilize quickly in order to change a political decision. When the activists eventually achieved their goal, the network fell apart