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Demokratiskolan
Municipal governing documents

Nine documents that govern a municipality

A municipality is governed in text. Governing documents are sorted by what they do, regulate, set norms or activate, and by how detailed they are. Together they form nine document types.

Based on the guidelines of Botkyrka municipality

01.

Three things a document can do

Each governing document does one of three things. That decides what the document is called and what it is used for.

Regulating

Regulating governing documents clarify the responsibilities, powers and ways of working for bodies, groups or individual functions in the municipality (kommun).

Norm-setting

Norm-setting governing documents explain the municipality's stance on a question and how a service is to be delivered. They describe how we do things in what we already have.

Activating

Activating governing documents describe the shifts the municipality wants to achieve within a given area or activity.

02.

The nine documents

Lay the three types against three levels of detail, from the overarching to the concrete, and you get the nine document types. The row also shows who decides.

Regulating
Norm-setting
Activating
OverarchingThe municipal council (kommunfullmäktige)
Rules of procedure (Arbetsordning)Describes the ways of working for political bodies, such as the municipal council (kommunfullmäktige), the municipality's highest decision-making body.
PolicyDescribes an overarching stance or principles on a question. It is short, and can also serve as the opening to a guideline.
StrategyDescribes an overarching desired direction. It holds the long perspectives, makes choices and points out important areas, without being detailed.
GeneralThe council, the executive board or a committee (nämnd)
Terms of reference (Reglemente)Describes the responsibilities, powers and working methods of bodies and groups, such as committees (nämnder) and boards.
Guideline (Riktlinje)Guides and gives concrete support on how tasks should be carried out. More detailed than a policy, but not as detailed as a rule.
Programme (Program)Describes what the municipality is to achieve within a defined area. It can combine long-term and short-term goals and propose methods.
DetailedThe municipal executive board (kommunstyrelse) or a committee
Delegation of authority (Delegationsordning)Describes which decision-making power is delegated from committees and boards to sub-committees, public officials or elected representatives.
Rule (Regel)The most detailed of the norm-setting documents. It deals with how specific measures are to be carried out within an area.
PlanThe most detailed activating document. It describes which concrete activities are to be carried out to reach a shift.

Related

Governing documents connect with the other maps of power in Sweden.

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