Swedish politicians’ perspective on civil servants’ collaboration, financial resources, and contextual knowledge in eldercare: A qualitative study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Swedish municipalities are the main employer for the staff in eldercare, a sector where sick leave rates are high and work environment deficiencies are reported. This qualitative grounded theory study aimed to explore how the politicians accountable for eldercare in Sweden perceived their collaboration with civil servants, their understanding of the financing of eldercare, and views regarding their own existing knowledge of their assignment within eldercare. The study comprised interviews with 41 politicians from municipalities across Sweden. Three categories emerged: (1) holding a position of power, (2) lacking finance of eldercare, and (3) wanting to increase their knowledge base. The strongest finding showed that the civil servants can be viewed as holding a position of power in relation to the politicians. Politicians relied on the civil servants to gather and present information regarding eldercare so they could make accurate decisions; at the same time, they were aware that information might be incomplete. Most of the accountable politicians believe that the financial resources allocated for eldercare were insufficient. The politicians also believed they needed to increase their own knowledge base and expressed a desire to learn more about eldercare and the employees’ work environment. Further studies should explore the role of the first line managers of staff in the eldercare organization and their work environment, and how they perceived their collaboration with civil servants and the accountable politicians.