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Falun on the road to becoming a ‘Democracy City’ in Sweden

Introduction

Unless you’re interested in the history of mining or like winter sports, you may never have heard of Falun (about 56,000 inhabitants). It is situated in the heart of Sweden, around the “Stora Kopparberg”, the “Big Copper Mountain” which once produced two-thirds of all the copper used in Europe and now is a UNESCO heritage site.

In 2015 Falun will host the 50th Nordic World Ski Championships. While upgrading facilities for this major event the local council also started to modernise its ‘infrastructure’ for citizen participation and local democracy. The mayor of the city, Jonny Gahnshag, believes that in the “future we don’t just need great transport, sport and leisure facilities but also active citizens and an open administration”.

Supported by a huge majority of the local council, the Fullmäktige, Falun has launched an action plan to become a ‘Democracy City’ in which “every voice is heard” at all times. 

About this case study
Main Contact

Bruno Kaufmann

Chairman of the Falun Electoral Commission and Democracy Council, Falun

E-Mail:

bruno.kaufmann@falun.se 


Bruno Kaufmann wrote this case study for Governance International on 22 February 2013.

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