The normative role of experts in policy development: a comparison of two Scandinavian cultural policy reports

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article summarises a study of two Scandinavian cultural policy expert reports, namely Sweden’s SOU 2009:16 and Norway’s NOU 2013:4, comparing how strongly these reports focus on advice relating to overall policy objectives. The two reports were produced roughly during the same period and in culturally interconnected countries, so they might be expected to have many similarities. The study finds that they are similar in some ways. Both the reports show that the normative power of experts in Scandinavian cultural policy is significant, although this is shown in different ways. In the case of SOU 2009:16, the normative power of the experts is primarily demonstrated in the mandate of the report, which explicitly requests the experts to suggest changes in overall policy objectives. On the other hand, the discussions of overall policy objectives are significantly more elaborate in NOU 2013:4 than in SOU 2009:16. Also, in NOU 2013:4, the normative power of experts is confirmed by their suggestions of controversial overall policy objectives. Thus, although both the reports confirm the normative power of experts in cultural policy, the reports also differ in important ways. The article explores possible explanations for these differences.