Pub Date : 2020-06-30DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2020.16.1.2
H. Tryggvadóttir, Kristín Loftsdóttir
Internationally, it has been well documented that refugees and asylum seekers are portrayed as one of Europe’s greatest threats, which intersects strongly with stereotypes about Muslim men. Our discussion focuses on asylum seekers in Iceland in 2015-2017 and their experiences of racism. The analysis shows that asylum seekers experienced racism in Iceland, but that this racism becomes overshadowed by their precarious position as asylum seekers. Our analysis of racism and asylum seekers in Iceland is based on an intersectional perspective that stresses how racism has to be seen as existing in conjunction with other identifications and identities. In our case, the intersection of racism with the position of vulnerability is particularly important, i.e., the vulnerability that these individuals experience when categorized as asylum seekers. As we stress, the asylum seekers’ dismissal of racism signifies the intense insecurity that they live under and the structural violence that they become subjected to from state and border policies.
{"title":"The Word I Hate: Racism, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Iceland","authors":"H. Tryggvadóttir, Kristín Loftsdóttir","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2020.16.1.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2020.16.1.2","url":null,"abstract":"Internationally, it has been well documented that refugees and asylum seekers are portrayed as one of Europe’s greatest threats, which intersects strongly with stereotypes about Muslim men. Our discussion focuses on asylum seekers in Iceland in 2015-2017 and their experiences of racism. The analysis shows that asylum seekers experienced racism in Iceland, but that this racism becomes overshadowed by their precarious position as asylum seekers. Our analysis of racism and asylum seekers in Iceland is based on an intersectional perspective that stresses how racism has to be seen as existing in conjunction with other identifications and identities. In our case, the intersection of racism with the position of vulnerability is particularly important, i.e., the vulnerability that these individuals experience when categorized as asylum seekers. As we stress, the asylum seekers’ dismissal of racism signifies the intense insecurity that they live under and the structural violence that they become subjected to from state and border policies.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133405996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-12-14DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.3
Vífill Karlsson, H. Jóhannesson, Jón Óskar Pétursson
Presently, discussions are taking place in Iceland on the development and maintenance of tourist sites and various services needed in order for tourism to develop in line with the great increase in the number of foreign tourists. Municipalities are one of the interested parties and they are responsible for many services: sewage, maintenance of parks and streets, to name a few. There are doubts that municipal income increases according to the increase in tourists, because it is most likely this will take place through municipal income tax, but much of the work related to tourism is carried out by migrant workers. This research attempts to assess if municipal income changes with increased number of tourists. It will also be attempted to estimate if costs of municipalities increase with increased number of tourists, and also which types of costs. Available data on financial affairs of municipalities from the Association of municipalities, real estate prices from the National registry and statistics on number of tourists, from diverse sources, are used to assess changes in costs and incomes and if this will have the impacts described above. Quantitative methods are applied in the analysis. Regression analysis for panel data (fixed and random effect models) was applied along with descriptive analysis.
{"title":"Tourists and municipal finance","authors":"Vífill Karlsson, H. Jóhannesson, Jón Óskar Pétursson","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.3","url":null,"abstract":"Presently, discussions are taking place in Iceland on the development and maintenance of tourist sites and various services needed in order for tourism to develop in line with the great increase in the number of foreign tourists. Municipalities are one of the interested parties and they are responsible for many services: sewage, maintenance of parks and streets, to name a few. There are doubts that municipal income increases according to the increase in tourists, because it is most likely this will take place through municipal income tax, but much of the work related to tourism is carried out by migrant workers. This research attempts to assess if municipal income changes with increased number of tourists. It will also be attempted to estimate if costs of municipalities increase with increased number of tourists, and also which types of costs. Available data on financial affairs of municipalities from the Association of municipalities, real estate prices from the National registry and statistics on number of tourists, from diverse sources, are used to assess changes in costs and incomes and if this will have the impacts described above. Quantitative methods are applied in the analysis. Regression analysis for panel data (fixed and random effect models) was applied along with descriptive analysis.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"9 4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126608558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-12-14DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.2.5
Á. E. Guðmundsdóttir, Elín Blöndal
The article deals with manifestations of power in the relations between managers and knowledge-workers and the challenges that managers face in that context. The data retrieval was based on qualitative methodology and nine semi-structured interviews were conducted, with three managers and six employees, within three different organizations, a ministry, university and a bank. The main conclusions indicate that power is an important factor in successful management of knowledge-workers and that effective managers rely on their personal power, that is their expert and referent power, rather than formal power. The conclusions also indicate that the specialities of knowledge-workers, among other things the power they possess, make certain demands to the manager and his governance. The managers viewed themselves as the equals rather than the managers of the knowledge-workers. The conclusions also demonstrate how important it is for the managers to have good communication skills. Among other things it appeared that the managers need to exercise their power through rhetoric and persuasion.
{"title":"Leadership for experts: First among equals","authors":"Á. E. Guðmundsdóttir, Elín Blöndal","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.2.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.2.5","url":null,"abstract":"The article deals with manifestations of power in the relations between managers and knowledge-workers and the challenges that managers face in that context. The data retrieval was based on qualitative methodology and nine semi-structured interviews were conducted, with three managers and six employees, within three different organizations, a ministry, university and a bank. The main conclusions indicate that power is an important factor in successful management of knowledge-workers and that effective managers rely on their personal power, that is their expert and referent power, rather than formal power. The conclusions also indicate that the specialities of knowledge-workers, among other things the power they possess, make certain demands to the manager and his governance. The managers viewed themselves as the equals rather than the managers of the knowledge-workers. The conclusions also demonstrate how important it is for the managers to have good communication skills. Among other things it appeared that the managers need to exercise their power through rhetoric and persuasion.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"96 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124855001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-12-14DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.4
Kristín Guðmundsdóttir, Johanna Gunnlaugsdottir
This article is based on the findings of a research into the procedures regarding the handling of classified and confidential information at law enforcement agencies and related institutions. The aim was to examine how this information was being dealt with at these institutions. A secondary aim was to shed light on the duties and requirements regarding how confidential information should be handled and how the information were being enforced, in addition to examining the knowledge that the employees possessed regarding the legal environment. Procedures regarding the processing of confidential information have not been studied before in a comprehensive manner from the perspective of having the operation and purpose of these institutions in mind. The research was based on a qualitative methodology, interviews to be exact. The main findings showed that the respondents honoured the legal requirements regarding confidentiality when they handled such information. They referred to declarations of confidentiality, obligations of State employees, and their responsibilities in connection with the legal requirements regarding discretion. There was a difference of opinion whether current laws and regulations regarding the handling of confidential information were sufficient or should be changed. Traditions and customs had furthermore created certain work procedures in the daily work, and proved more valid than predefined rules.
{"title":"Handling of confidential Information at law enforcement agencies","authors":"Kristín Guðmundsdóttir, Johanna Gunnlaugsdottir","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.4","url":null,"abstract":"This article is based on the findings of a research into the procedures regarding the handling of classified and confidential information at law enforcement agencies and related institutions. The aim was to examine how this information was being dealt with at these institutions. A secondary aim was to shed light on the duties and requirements regarding how confidential information should be handled and how the information were being enforced, in addition to examining the knowledge that the employees possessed regarding the legal environment. Procedures regarding the processing of confidential information have not been studied before in a comprehensive manner from the perspective of having the operation and purpose of these institutions in mind. \u0000The research was based on a qualitative methodology, interviews to be exact. The main findings showed that the respondents honoured the legal requirements regarding confidentiality when they handled such information. They referred to declarations of confidentiality, obligations of State employees, and their responsibilities in connection with the legal requirements regarding discretion. There was a difference of opinion whether current laws and regulations regarding the handling of confidential information were sufficient or should be changed. Traditions and customs had furthermore created certain work procedures in the daily work, and proved more valid than predefined rules.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"398 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132138194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-12-14DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.6
Ragny Þóra Guðjohnsen, Sigrún Aðalbjarnardóttir
The aim of the study is to explore young people’s attitudes towards political participation, both towards social-movement participation, such as taking part in protecting the environment and advocate for human rights; and towards more conventional participation such as voting. Their attitudes are examined in relation to their understanding of democracy, their empathy level, their parents’ support, and both their own and their parents’ conventional and social-movement participation. The study is a part of the research project, Young People’s Civic Engagement in a Democratic Society. The participants are Icelandic, age 14 and 18, in total 1042. They all responded to a questionnaire and 21 of them were interviewed. The study’s main findings were: Proportionally more young people emphasized social-movement participation than conventional participation. The more understanding they had of democracy and the higher level of empathy they expressed, the more positive attitudes they had towards social-movement participation. Furthermore, those who experienced more parental support and reported their own or their parents’ conventional and social-movement participation had more positive attitudes towards social-movement participation. Fewer factors were related to the young people’s attitudes towards conventional participation. The more girls found characteristics of democracy important, the more positive attitudes they had towards conventional participation; also, if their parents had participated in political parties. The interviews revealed that the young people felt social-participation an important way to have a voice, be active, and to have an impact on societal issues. Lack of trust towards authorities reduced their political participation. Also, they called for information about ways and fields to be active.
{"title":"Young people’s views on political participation","authors":"Ragny Þóra Guðjohnsen, Sigrún Aðalbjarnardóttir","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.6","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of the study is to explore young people’s attitudes towards political participation, both towards social-movement participation, such as taking part in protecting the environment and advocate for human rights; and towards more conventional participation such as voting. Their attitudes are examined in relation to their understanding of democracy, their empathy level, their parents’ support, and both their own and their parents’ conventional and social-movement participation. The study is a part of the research project, Young People’s Civic Engagement in a Democratic Society. The participants are Icelandic, age 14 and 18, in total 1042. They all responded to a questionnaire and 21 of them were interviewed.\u0000The study’s main findings were: Proportionally more young people emphasized social-movement participation than conventional participation. The more understanding they had of democracy and the higher level of empathy they expressed, the more positive attitudes they had towards social-movement participation. Furthermore, those who experienced more parental support and reported their own or their parents’ conventional and social-movement participation had more positive attitudes towards social-movement participation. Fewer factors were related to the young people’s attitudes towards conventional participation. The more girls found characteristics of democracy important, the more positive attitudes they had towards conventional participation; also, if their parents had participated in political parties.\u0000The interviews revealed that the young people felt social-participation an important way to have a voice, be active, and to have an impact on societal issues. Lack of trust towards authorities reduced their political participation. Also, they called for information about ways and fields to be active.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130496600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-12-14DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.2.2
Kristín Loftsdóttir, M. Mixa
The multinational retailer, Costco, opened its first store in Iceland during spring 2017. Not only was the opening greatly anticipated but following the store opening, Costco became one of the key issues in the Icelandic media. Our analysis focuses on Costco’s opening from insights derived from theories of globalization of mobility, where we emphasize that discussions about Costco in Iceland cannot be separated from the post-crash atmosphere after the massive economic crash in 2008. Our perspective is particularly influenced by Tsing’s (2005) emphasis on the unpredictability of global phenomena that move around and transplant in a new context. Our analysis both contextualize Costco’s arrival within Iceland’s historical and social context and analyzes some of the main themes in the Icelandic media discussion during the opening. The dualistic opposition of ‘us’ (Icelanders) against ‘them’ (foreigners), which has been quite salient in Iceland, were largely invisible in discussions about Costco’s opening. Costco in Iceland was quickly incorporated into a discourse as a positive force against Icelandic corruption that started after the crash. The ‘us against them’ themes thus turned from being ‘Icelanders against foreigners’ into ‘the Icelandic population against Iceland’s elite retail sector.
{"title":"The opening of Costco in Iceland: Unexpected meanings of globalized phenomenon","authors":"Kristín Loftsdóttir, M. Mixa","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.2.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.2.2","url":null,"abstract":"The multinational retailer, Costco, opened its first store in Iceland during spring 2017. Not only was the opening greatly anticipated but following the store opening, Costco became one of the key issues in the Icelandic media. Our analysis focuses on Costco’s opening from insights derived from theories of globalization of mobility, where we emphasize that discussions about Costco in Iceland cannot be separated from the post-crash atmosphere after the massive economic crash in 2008. Our perspective is particularly influenced by Tsing’s (2005) emphasis on the unpredictability of global phenomena that move around and transplant in a new context. Our analysis both contextualize Costco’s arrival within Iceland’s historical and social context and analyzes some of the main themes in the Icelandic media discussion during the opening. The dualistic opposition of ‘us’ (Icelanders) against ‘them’ (foreigners), which has been quite salient in Iceland, were largely invisible in discussions about Costco’s opening. Costco in Iceland was quickly incorporated into a discourse as a positive force against Icelandic corruption that started after the crash. The ‘us against them’ themes thus turned from being ‘Icelanders against foreigners’ into ‘the Icelandic population against Iceland’s elite retail sector.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130821578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-12-14DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.1
E. Hlynsdóttir
This article explores the working conditions of Icelandic local councillors in relation to voluntary retirement from the council. In the past three elections, the turnover in councils has been very high, with approximately six out of every 10 council members being new recruits at the beginning of each term. The turnover has also highlighted possible gender issues, as more women than men (proportionally) leave the council after their first term. The findings reveal a significant difference between the councillors who plan to stay and those who opt to leave. This is in relation to the local authorities’ population size, satisfaction with remuneration, and seniority in the council. Thus, councillors in larger municipalities or councillors satisfied with their remuneration are more likely to run for council versus councillors from smaller municipalities and those less happy with their remuneration. Seniority is also a decisive factor, as the majority of all councillors leave after the first term. Significant differences were not found between the female and male councillors in relation to voluntary retirement. However, gendered differences were found in relation to institutional position and working conditions, suggesting a gender-based division of labour in local councils.
{"title":"Dutiful citizen or a pragmatic professional? Voluntary retirement of Icelandic local councillors","authors":"E. Hlynsdóttir","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.2.1","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the working conditions of Icelandic local councillors in relation to voluntary retirement from the council. In the past three elections, the turnover in councils has been very high, with approximately six out of every 10 council members being new recruits at the beginning of each term. The turnover has also highlighted possible gender issues, as more women than men (proportionally) leave the council after their first term. The findings reveal a significant difference between the councillors who plan to stay and those who opt to leave. This is in relation to the local authorities’ population size, satisfaction with remuneration, and seniority in the council. Thus, councillors in larger municipalities or councillors satisfied with their remuneration are more likely to run for council versus councillors from smaller municipalities and those less happy with their remuneration. Seniority is also a decisive factor, as the majority of all councillors leave after the first term. Significant differences were not found between the female and male councillors in relation to voluntary retirement. However, gendered differences were found in relation to institutional position and working conditions, suggesting a gender-based division of labour in local councils.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133670820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-06-16DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.1.4
R. Traustadóttir, J. Rice
The right to vote is a fundamental right of citizenship in democratic nations, and participation in elections in one of the most important acts undertaken by citizens. Although these rights are guaranteed to all citizens, international research shows that disabled people are widely excluded from participation in elections. Disabled people are less likely to vote than non-disabled people and often encounter various obstacles when they try to participate in elections. This article discusses the voting participation of disabled people in consideration of the international research. The main barriers that disabled people encounter in the voting process will first be outlined. This will be followed by questions concerning the effects these obstacles produce, not only for disabled citizens, but what this means overall for the health of democracy and democratic institutions when a portion of the citizenry encounter serious obstacles concerning their basic civil rights. Icelandic research in this field is extremely limited and no systematic statistical data exists on the participation of disabled people in elections, or politics in general, in this country. Based on data drawn from sources from two of the largest disabled people’s organization in the country, the focus here is on the experiences, circumstances and opportunities for disabled people to participate in elections in the country. The findings draw attention to the obligations of the state to promote and ensure the participation of disabled people in politics and public life in light of the recent ratification in Iceland of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
{"title":"Elections, Democracy and Disabled People","authors":"R. Traustadóttir, J. Rice","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.1.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.1.4","url":null,"abstract":"The right to vote is a fundamental right of citizenship in democratic nations, and participation in elections in one of the most important acts undertaken by citizens. Although these rights are guaranteed to all citizens, international research shows that disabled people are widely excluded from participation in elections. Disabled people are less likely to vote than non-disabled people and often encounter various obstacles when they try to participate in elections. This article discusses the voting participation of disabled people in consideration of the international research. The main barriers that disabled people encounter in the voting process will first be outlined. This will be followed by questions concerning the effects these obstacles produce, not only for disabled citizens, but what this means overall for the health of democracy and democratic institutions when a portion of the citizenry encounter serious obstacles concerning their basic civil rights. Icelandic research in this field is extremely limited and no systematic statistical data exists on the participation of disabled people in elections, or politics in general, in this country. Based on data drawn from sources from two of the largest disabled people’s organization in the country, the focus here is on the experiences, circumstances and opportunities for disabled people to participate in elections in the country. The findings draw attention to the obligations of the state to promote and ensure the participation of disabled people in politics and public life in light of the recent ratification in Iceland of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134107933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-06-16DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.1.6
Bergþóra Hlín Arnórsdóttir, Einar Svansson, Kári Joensen
Nordic leadership values have gained increased publicity and popularity recently. The paper looks at Icelandic public management. The main research question is if and how Icelandic managers adhere to Nordic leadership values. The research is based on a prior Danish study: Public managers – tasks and opinions. An online questionnaire was sent to 1.685 public managers in Iceland, with 524 respondents so the participation rate is 31%. The main purpose of the research was to highlight the emphasis of Icelandic managers in daily tasks and get their opinions on their working environment and regulatory framework. Another point was to compare the public working environment in Iceland and Denmark regarding the basic values of Nordic leadership. The main findings show that public management in Iceland is characterized by trust, clear work-processes, short chains of command and minimal bureaucracy. Cooperation and social networking at the workplace was positive and reasonable demands towards the managers. At the same time, there seem to be opportunities for the managers to have more influence to enhance performance in their institutions. The main barriers were minimal influence on legislation and the political stakeholders. In comparison, the Danish managers thought bureaucracy too burdensome and that work-processes could be simplified. However, the Danish managers feel they have greater impact and influence on their working environment and political stakeholders. The work-processes and perspectives of Icelandic managers are in line with the Nordic management values: Open communication, critical thinking and care.
{"title":"Viðhorf íslenskra og danskra stjórnenda til starfsumhverfis í ljósi norrænna gilda","authors":"Bergþóra Hlín Arnórsdóttir, Einar Svansson, Kári Joensen","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.1.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2017.13.1.6","url":null,"abstract":"Nordic leadership values have gained increased publicity and popularity recently. The paper looks at Icelandic public management. The main research question is if and how Icelandic managers adhere to Nordic leadership values. The research is based on a prior Danish study: Public managers – tasks and opinions. An online questionnaire was sent to 1.685 public managers in Iceland, with 524 respondents so the participation rate is 31%. The main purpose of the research was to highlight the emphasis of Icelandic managers in daily tasks and get their opinions on their working environment and regulatory framework. Another point was to compare the public working environment in Iceland and Denmark regarding the basic values of Nordic leadership.\u0000The main findings show that public management in Iceland is characterized by trust, clear work-processes, short chains of command and minimal bureaucracy. Cooperation and social networking at the workplace was positive and reasonable demands towards the managers. At the same time, there seem to be opportunities for the managers to have more influence to enhance performance in their institutions. The main barriers were minimal influence on legislation and the political stakeholders. In comparison, the Danish managers thought bureaucracy too burdensome and that work-processes could be simplified. However, the Danish managers feel they have greater impact and influence on their working environment and political stakeholders.\u0000The work-processes and perspectives of Icelandic managers are in line with the Nordic management values: Open communication, critical thinking and care.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131774697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-06-16DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.1.7
Ingi Rúnar Eðvarðsson, Guðmundur Kristján Óskarsson, Jason Már Bergsteinsson
The aim of the article is to examine whether there is a difference in the utilization of education among university educated employees in private companies on the one hand and public institutions on the other. The target population of the research was based on a random sample drawn from the National Population Register by the National Survey of the Social Science Research Institute of the University of Iceland from 9 March to 9 April 2016. The survey included 2,001 individuals, aged 18 or above, from all over the country. A total of 1,210 persons responded to the survey. This research only involved those participants in the sample who had completed a university education and were salaried employees in Iceland. After data cleansing, 374 participants remained, 178 males and 196 females. The initial results of the research indicated that 20.3% of participants were over-educated for their jobs. The majority of females work in public companies, while the majority of males work in private companies. Individuals with under-education are most likely to be found within public companies, at the same time as over-educated individuals are most likely to be found in private companies (the difference lies in the under- and over-education of females). Those working in public companies come primarily from educational and health sicences, while engineers and natural sicentists work primarily at private companies. Incomes are higher in private companies.
{"title":"Hagnýting menntunar meðal háskólamenntaðs starfsfólks einkarekinna fyrirtækja og opinberra stofnana","authors":"Ingi Rúnar Eðvarðsson, Guðmundur Kristján Óskarsson, Jason Már Bergsteinsson","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.1.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2017.13.1.7","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of the article is to examine whether there is a difference in the utilization of education among university educated employees in private companies on the one hand and public institutions on the other. The target population of the research was based on a random sample drawn from the National Population Register by the National Survey of the Social Science Research Institute of the University of Iceland from 9 March to 9 April 2016. The survey included 2,001 individuals, aged 18 or above, from all over the country. A total of 1,210 persons responded to the survey. This research only involved those participants in the sample who had completed a university education and were salaried employees in Iceland. After data cleansing, 374 participants remained, 178 males and 196 females. The initial results of the research indicated that 20.3% of participants were over-educated for their jobs. The majority of females work in public companies, while the majority of males work in private companies. Individuals with under-education are most likely to be found within public companies, at the same time as over-educated individuals are most likely to be found in private companies (the difference lies in the under- and over-education of females). Those working in public companies come primarily from educational and health sicences, while engineers and natural sicentists work primarily at private companies. Incomes are higher in private companies.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114541208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}