Ministerstyre
Encyclopedia
Ministerstyre in Swedish
describes a deviation from the rule that individual government ministers
in Sweden
More accurately, the Prime Minister
, technically the only “minister” in Sweden's
government. The heads of government departments (statsråd) are informally called ministers. do not have the right to influence or decide the handling of individual cases at government agencies. There is no equivalent term in English because the constitutional tradition of Sweden is different from those of English-speaking countries.
In Sweden this is unconstitutional, for two reasons. Government agencies (similar but not the same as executive agencies
), which are separate organisational entities from the ministries, are fundamentally independent in their handling of individual cases, and only the government (by collective decision-making) can issue instructions to agencies. Thus, a version of the independence of the political power that courts have in most countries applies to a larger sets of agencies in Sweden.
The type of decision-making unconstitutional in Sweden is common practice in most other countries such as the United Kingdom
and the United States
. In Sweden, the government and the parliament
have regulatory power and are responsible for creating laws (in the case of parliament) and ordinances (in the case of the government) governing the workings of the different agencies. The reasoning behind this is to prevent government corruption and to ensure that laws and regulations are applied equally. It also motivates the government and parliament to get rid of hard-to-interpret or problematic laws and regulations. There are rare exceptions to this distinction, such as when a natural disaster or war occurs and there is a need for a shorter chain of command.
In practice, much of the ministerial influence is handled by informal coordination rather than by formal decisions by ministers or the government. The government also appoints the heads of the independent agencies and has the power to remove them.
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
describes a deviation from the rule that individual government ministers
Government of Sweden
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
More accurately, the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
, technically the only “minister” in Sweden's
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
government. The heads of government departments (statsråd) are informally called ministers. do not have the right to influence or decide the handling of individual cases at government agencies. There is no equivalent term in English because the constitutional tradition of Sweden is different from those of English-speaking countries.
In Sweden this is unconstitutional, for two reasons. Government agencies (similar but not the same as executive agencies
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
), which are separate organisational entities from the ministries, are fundamentally independent in their handling of individual cases, and only the government (by collective decision-making) can issue instructions to agencies. Thus, a version of the independence of the political power that courts have in most countries applies to a larger sets of agencies in Sweden.
The type of decision-making unconstitutional in Sweden is common practice in most other countries such as the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In Sweden, the government and the parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
have regulatory power and are responsible for creating laws (in the case of parliament) and ordinances (in the case of the government) governing the workings of the different agencies. The reasoning behind this is to prevent government corruption and to ensure that laws and regulations are applied equally. It also motivates the government and parliament to get rid of hard-to-interpret or problematic laws and regulations. There are rare exceptions to this distinction, such as when a natural disaster or war occurs and there is a need for a shorter chain of command.
In practice, much of the ministerial influence is handled by informal coordination rather than by formal decisions by ministers or the government. The government also appoints the heads of the independent agencies and has the power to remove them.
Basis
Chapter 11. art. 7 of The (Swedish) Instrument of Government:No public authority, including the Riksdag and the decision-making bodies of local authorities, may determine how an administrative authority shall decide in a particular case relating to the exercise of public authority vis-à-vis a private subject or a local authority, or relating to the application of law.