Local Councillors: Between Local ‘Government’ and Local ‘Governance’

With a two‐dimensional concept of ‘New Public Management’ as its point of departure, the article points to the development of a specific Danish model of NPM at the local level of government. In the municipalities the market‐oriented NPM dimension has been almost absent and the managerial dimension has been interpreted and translated into a ‘governance’‐oriented model that combines decentralized self‐ and user‐governance from below with centralized goal‐steering from above. This combined model institutes new governing roles including a new leadership role for elected councillors as central goal‐steering decision and policy makers. Rather than strengthening the local councillors, the new leadership role has turned out to be problematic for the elected councillors. The problems inherent in the new institutional role as goal‐steering decision makers are discussed and arguments are put forward in favour of a more ‘governance’ and less NPM and government‐oriented role for elected councillors. What seems to be needed is another new role that stresses local councillors as co‐governors and guardians of an inclusive and democratic form of local governance.