Pub Date : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.7
M. Einarsson, Johanna Gunnlaugsdottir
The purpose of this research was to study the use and role of social media hosted by government institutions in Iceland. The research was conducted using quantitative and qualitative research methods. A survey was sent electronically to all government institutions in Iceland and semi-structured interviews were conducted with specialists working for institutions. No research has been conducted on this subject in Iceland before. It was therefore considered timely that a research was conducted on the use of social media in public institutions, with the intention of adding new knowledge to the field. No similar research from outside of Iceland was found, but this research was based on related studies and sources from abroad. A little less than half of government institutions used social media as part of their activities and Facebook and YouTube were most widely used. Popularity, circulation, usefulness and convenience were the most important factors when choosing social media. The majority of institutions had neither defined social media goals nor the role and responsibility of employees when using social media. The institutions placed strong emphasis on publishing adverts and news items on the institutions’ activities via social media pages and there were a considerable number of references to material on other web pages. Among other things the interviewees said that the purpose of using social media was information dissemination, reception of information, more visibility, the opening of institutions to the public and increased transparency. They talked about the importance of being informal on social media, but they also pointed out that there had been some fear among institutions of using them, in particular fear of employees showing a human side via social media. There was minimal use of original material on institutions’ social media pages, while institutions were quite systematic in posting material from their website through social media. Also, the public did not post much material on social media used by institutions.
{"title":"Social Media Used by Government Institutions in Iceland: Application, Role and Aims","authors":"M. Einarsson, Johanna Gunnlaugsdottir","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.7","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this research was to study the use and role of social media hosted by government institutions in Iceland. The research was conducted using quantitative and qualitative research methods. A survey was sent electronically to all government institutions in Iceland and semi-structured interviews were conducted with specialists working for institutions. No research has been conducted on this subject in Iceland before. It was therefore considered timely that a research was conducted on the use of social media in public institutions, with the intention of adding new knowledge to the field. No similar research from outside of Iceland was found, but this research was based on related studies and sources from abroad. A little less than half of government institutions used social media as part of their activities and Facebook and YouTube were most widely used. Popularity, circulation, usefulness and convenience were the most important factors when choosing social media. The majority of institutions had neither defined social media goals nor the role and responsibility of employees when using social media. The institutions placed strong emphasis on publishing adverts and news items on the institutions’ activities via social media pages and there were a considerable number of references to material on other web pages. Among other things the interviewees said that the purpose of using social media was information dissemination, reception of information, more visibility, the opening of institutions to the public and increased transparency. They talked about the importance of being informal on social media, but they also pointed out that there had been some fear among institutions of using them, in particular fear of employees showing a human side via social media. There was minimal use of original material on institutions’ social media pages, while institutions were quite systematic in posting material from their website through social media. Also, the public did not post much material on social media used by institutions.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126312715","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.8
Baldvin Thor Bergsson
The importance of social media in the national discourse is increasing but little is known about their true effects on political communication and participation. The paper examines how the Icelandic political parties used social media during the campaign for the 2013 general elections and possible influence of the electorate. Data from the Icelandic National Election Study was used to examine a possible link between political interest and participation. International studies are used as a reference since Icelandic studies on the subject are limited, and a theoretical overview of the nature and effect of social media is provided. The findings of this paper are that social media was primarily used as a one-way communication tool and that interaction between parties and the electorate was limited. Facebook is by far the most important social media due to its spread and easiness to send information to a large group. The study does not find evidence for the claim that voters had much effect on the campaign through social media nor that social media affected the election results. People with much interest in politics are more likely to use the internet to receive information from the parties.
{"title":"Political parties and Facebook: A study of Icelandic political parties and their social media usage","authors":"Baldvin Thor Bergsson","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.8","url":null,"abstract":"The importance of social media in the national discourse is increasing but little is known about their true effects on political communication and participation. The paper examines how the Icelandic political parties used social media during the campaign for the 2013 general elections and possible influence of the electorate. Data from the Icelandic National Election Study was used to examine a possible link between political interest and participation. International studies are used as a reference since Icelandic studies on the subject are limited, and a theoretical overview of the nature and effect of social media is provided. The findings of this paper are that social media was primarily used as a one-way communication tool and that interaction between parties and the electorate was limited. Facebook is by far the most important social media due to its spread and easiness to send information to a large group. The study does not find evidence for the claim that voters had much effect on the campaign through social media nor that social media affected the election results. People with much interest in politics are more likely to use the internet to receive information from the parties.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117007326","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.2
Baldur Þórhallsson, T. Joensen
The paper argues that there is not necessarily a correlation between political, economic and societal shelter. Iceland received considerable societal and political shelter from Denmark in the period under study, but Denmark failed to provide its remote island with economic cover. Firstly, and most importantly, it provided substantial and highly valuable societal shelter. Copenhagen was the main channel by which new knowledge and technology could enter Iceland. The islanders benefited from educational, health-care and social policies of the crown and it played an invaluable role in preserving Iceland’s cultural heritage. Secondly, Denmark provided partial protection of Icelandic waters and land though Iceland’s peripheral position continued to be its main protection from outside attacks. However, at the end of our period, the Danish kingdom was in decline and unable to provide political cover. Nevertheless, increased centralization, initiated from Denmark, provided internal order and political stability and citizens became more equal before the law. Thirdly, Icelanders paid a heavy price for the Danish trade monopoly though Icelanders continued to receive partial economic and societal shelter from foreign merchants and fishermen. The crown’s policies towards Iceland can largely be explained by current ideological trends at any given time. By being in constant contact with the European continent through Denmark, Icelandic society was part of the societal, political and economic evolution in Europe and managed to avoid isolation despite its geographical remoteness.
{"title":"Iceland’s External Affairs from 1550-1815: Danish societal and political cover concurrent with a highly costly economic policy","authors":"Baldur Þórhallsson, T. Joensen","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.2","url":null,"abstract":"The paper argues that there is not necessarily a correlation between political, economic and societal shelter. Iceland received considerable societal and political shelter from Denmark in the period under study, but Denmark failed to provide its remote island with economic cover. Firstly, and most importantly, it provided substantial and highly valuable societal shelter. Copenhagen was the main channel by which new knowledge and technology could enter Iceland. The islanders benefited from educational, health-care and social policies of the crown and it played an invaluable role in preserving Iceland’s cultural heritage. Secondly, Denmark provided partial protection of Icelandic waters and land though Iceland’s peripheral position continued to be its main protection from outside attacks. However, at the end of our period, the Danish kingdom was in decline and unable to provide political cover. Nevertheless, increased centralization, initiated from Denmark, provided internal order and political stability and citizens became more equal before the law. Thirdly, Icelanders paid a heavy price for the Danish trade monopoly though Icelanders continued to receive partial economic and societal shelter from foreign merchants and fishermen. The crown’s policies towards Iceland can largely be explained by current ideological trends at any given time. By being in constant contact with the European continent through Denmark, Icelandic society was part of the societal, political and economic evolution in Europe and managed to avoid isolation despite its geographical remoteness.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"53 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114333332","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.17
K. Haraldsdottir
The article analyses the procedural requirements that authorities must fulfil when granting authorisation for new electricity generating capacity according to Article 7 of the electricity directive 2009/72/EB. Pursuant to the provisions of Article 7 Member States must publish the authorisation procedure and the criteria for granting authorisations. The criteria must be objective, transparent and nondiscriminatory. The article asks what these requirements entail and whether they meet the intended purpose to ensure access to generating activities and free competition. It argues that the rules are too general and do not take into account the differing and complex procedures in the Member States and the diverse nature of electricity generation plants.
{"title":"Access to Electricity Production Activities Pursuant to the Internal Electricity Market Directive","authors":"K. Haraldsdottir","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.17","url":null,"abstract":"The article analyses the procedural requirements that authorities must fulfil when granting authorisation for new electricity generating capacity according to Article 7 of the electricity directive 2009/72/EB. Pursuant to the provisions of Article 7 Member States must publish the authorisation procedure and the criteria for granting authorisations. The criteria must be objective, transparent and nondiscriminatory. The article asks what these requirements entail and whether they meet the intended purpose to ensure access to generating activities and free competition. It argues that the rules are too general and do not take into account the differing and complex procedures in the Member States and the diverse nature of electricity generation plants.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125518004","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.4
Gylfi Dalmann Aðalsteinsson, Berglind Möller
This research examines the recruitment process prior to appointment of officials during the period of 2004 to 2012. This research investigates wheather a change has occurred in the recruiting process following the economic collapse in the fall of 2008. It is intended to provide insight into the official recruiting process. In all there were 68 appointments during the research period, 40 before the economic collapse and 28 after the collapse, which met the criteria of 13th paragraph in 22nd article of employment laws, no. 70/1996. Content analysis, which is a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, was used for processing and analyzing the data. The study investigates whether the job advertisements fulfill the criteria about job advertisments like they appear in regulations no. 464/1996 about job advertisements. Whether job advertisements for vacant jobs were published in Logbirtingablaðið (Iceland’s Legal Publication Journal), whether the application deadline were according to 7th article og the employment laws, whether special recruiting committees were used for professional support and finally the length of the recruitment process. The main results of this research indicate that there has been improvement in the recruiting process during the chosen research period. Following the economic collapse the execution of job advertisements have improved as the publication of job advertisements in Logbirtingablaðið was in most cases complied with laws and regulations. The application deadline was more often correctly indicated after the collapse, and special recruiting committees were more often used than the law stipulated. The recruitment process has however become longer after the economic collapse.
{"title":"Comparison of the recruitment process when appointing officials in Iceland before and after the economic collapse","authors":"Gylfi Dalmann Aðalsteinsson, Berglind Möller","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.4","url":null,"abstract":"This research examines the recruitment process prior to appointment of officials during the period of 2004 to 2012. This research investigates wheather a change has occurred in the recruiting process following the economic collapse in the fall of 2008. It is intended to provide insight into the official recruiting process. In all there were 68 appointments during the research period, 40 before the economic collapse and 28 after the collapse, which met the criteria of 13th paragraph in 22nd article of employment laws, no. 70/1996. Content analysis, which is a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, was used for processing and analyzing the data. The study investigates whether the job advertisements fulfill the criteria about job advertisments like they appear in regulations no. 464/1996 about job advertisements. Whether job advertisements for vacant jobs were published in Logbirtingablaðið (Iceland’s Legal Publication Journal), whether the application deadline were according to 7th article og the employment laws, whether special recruiting committees were used for professional support and finally the length of the recruitment process. The main results of this research indicate that there has been improvement in the recruiting process during the chosen research period. Following the economic collapse the execution of job advertisements have improved as the publication of job advertisements in Logbirtingablaðið was in most cases complied with laws and regulations. The application deadline was more often correctly indicated after the collapse, and special recruiting committees were more often used than the law stipulated. The recruitment process has however become longer after the economic collapse.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"126 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130953223","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.6
G. Kristinsson, Pétur Berg Matthíasson
Research on administrative reforms during the past thirty years indicates that reform efforts of countries differ. The Anglo Saxon states were at the forefront of the New Public Management movement while countries on mainland Europe were more hesitant and moved further towards the Neo-Weberian state. Academics have tried to explain different reform efforts within countries by looking at political, historical and cultural issues, values and economic factors to name just a few. Three hypotheses are put forward to explain reform efforts in different states. This research involves analysing the implementation of two different reform trends, New Public Management and the Neo-Weberian tradition. The analysis indicates that countries vary in their commitment to reform rather than in the emphasis on either New Public Management or the Neo-Weberian State. Decentralization, clear objectives and consultation with communities and experts are closely related to national reform efforts. However, Iceland does distinguish itself from Europe and the Nordic countries. The analysis reveals that although decentralization is high in the Icelandic system, autonomy of agencies does not have a strong relation to a varied use of administrative instruments. The second part of the article focuses on the results and achievements of reform programmes. The achievement of reform programmes are examined in relation to theories of bounded rationality, street level bureaucracy (bottom up) and consensus decision making. Three hypotheses are presented and tested to explain what causes reforms programmes to be successful in some countries and not in others. The analysis reveals that countries are more likely to succeed if bounded rationality is applied with careful preparation and when stakeholders are consulted.
{"title":"Public Administration reforms and results","authors":"G. Kristinsson, Pétur Berg Matthíasson","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.6","url":null,"abstract":"Research on administrative reforms during the past thirty years indicates that reform efforts of countries differ. The Anglo Saxon states were at the forefront of the New Public Management movement while countries on mainland Europe were more hesitant and moved further towards the Neo-Weberian state. Academics have tried to explain different reform efforts within countries by looking at political, historical and cultural issues, values and economic factors to name just a few. Three hypotheses are put forward to explain reform efforts in different states. This research involves analysing the implementation of two different reform trends, New Public Management and the Neo-Weberian tradition. The analysis indicates that countries vary in their commitment to reform rather than in the emphasis on either New Public Management or the Neo-Weberian State. Decentralization, clear objectives and consultation with communities and experts are closely related to national reform efforts. However, Iceland does distinguish itself from Europe and the Nordic countries. The analysis reveals that although decentralization is high in the Icelandic system, autonomy of agencies does not have a strong relation to a varied use of administrative instruments. The second part of the article focuses on the results and achievements of reform programmes. The achievement of reform programmes are examined in relation to theories of bounded rationality, street level bureaucracy (bottom up) and consensus decision making. Three hypotheses are presented and tested to explain what causes reforms programmes to be successful in some countries and not in others. The analysis reveals that countries are more likely to succeed if bounded rationality is applied with careful preparation and when stakeholders are consulted.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126954313","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.11
T. L. Ásgeirsdóttir, Ásgeir Tryggvason
This study is the first to explore the association between business cycles and workplace accidents using Icelandic data. The relationship is evaluated for the entire labor market, for specific sectors, by gender and by the severity of injuries. Most prior research has found workplace accidents to be pro-cyclical. Hypothesized reasons include increased labor supply and greater work intensity in upswings, and that accidents are more likely to be reported. Aggregate data for workplace accidents from the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health and several macroeconomic indicators from Statistics Iceland and Directorate of Labour were examined. The time series were non-stationary so first differences were used to detrend them. Their relationship was then examined using a linear regression model. Data from the Directorate of Health in Iceland and Statistics Iceland were used to calculate the relative risk of an accident. Pro-cyclical associations between business cycles and work-place accidents were observed, particularly in construction, in commerce and for men. The results of the relative-risk calculations indicated that workers were at considerably greater risk of having an accident in 2007 than in 2004-2006 and 2008-2011. By comparing the different estimations of the study, one can conclude that only a small part of the variability of risk can be explained by changes in labour supply. Increased risk at work, given the labor supply, seems to be a more significant reason for increased prevalence of accidents during periods of economic expansion.
{"title":"Business cycles and workplace accidents in Iceland 1986- 2011","authors":"T. L. Ásgeirsdóttir, Ásgeir Tryggvason","doi":"10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/IRPA.A.2014.10.2.11","url":null,"abstract":"This study is the first to explore the association between business cycles and workplace accidents using Icelandic data. The relationship is evaluated for the entire labor market, for specific sectors, by gender and by the severity of injuries. Most prior research has found workplace accidents to be pro-cyclical. Hypothesized reasons include increased labor supply and greater work intensity in upswings, and that accidents are more likely to be reported. Aggregate data for workplace accidents from the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health and several macroeconomic indicators from Statistics Iceland and Directorate of Labour were examined. The time series were non-stationary so first differences were used to detrend them. Their relationship was then examined using a linear regression model. Data from the Directorate of Health in Iceland and Statistics Iceland were used to calculate the relative risk of an accident. Pro-cyclical associations between business cycles and work-place accidents were observed, particularly in construction, in commerce and for men. The results of the relative-risk calculations indicated that workers were at considerably greater risk of having an accident in 2007 than in 2004-2006 and 2008-2011. By comparing the different estimations of the study, one can conclude that only a small part of the variability of risk can be explained by changes in labour supply. Increased risk at work, given the labor supply, seems to be a more significant reason for increased prevalence of accidents during periods of economic expansion.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"2020 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130488633","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.18
Þóroddur Bjarnason, E. Huijbens
Tourism has become one of the pillars of the Icelandic economy with a substantial increase in the number of foreign tourists. Tourism has also become the focus of attention in many rural communities where jobs in fisheries and agriculture have declined significantly. A strong and profitable tourism industry is however dependent upon transportation infrastructure. This research evaluates the effects of the Heðinsfjorður tunnels on the flow of tourists in the northern Trollaskagi region in order to clarify the effects of infrastructure improvements on tourism in peripheral areas. The study employs an integrated methodology of automatic traffic counters, traffic surveys, tourist surveys and official registration of tourist accommodation. The results suggest that the number of tourists in the municipality of Fjallabyggð has grown by about one-half after the opening of the tunnels as the municipality has become part of the Eyjafjorður tourism region and a destination between the capital region and the city of Akureyri. The Heðinsfjorður tunnels thus have contributed to the growth of tourism and a more diverse labor market in an area suffering from a decline in population and the primary industries. The tunnels have however had a limited impact in Skagafjorður and possibilities of a continuous tourism region spanning the area from Sauðarkrokur in the west to Husavik in the east and from Siglufjorður in the north to Akureyri in the south have not yet been realized. Such changes do not automatically follow infrastructure improvements but depend on a coordinated effort of government and local actors.
{"title":"Icelandic government policy and tourism growth in peripheral areas: The effects of the Héðinsfjörður tunnels in Fjallabyggð","authors":"Þóroddur Bjarnason, E. Huijbens","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.18","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.18","url":null,"abstract":"Tourism has become one of the pillars of the Icelandic economy with a substantial increase in the number of foreign tourists. Tourism has also become the focus of attention in many rural communities where jobs in fisheries and agriculture have declined significantly. A strong and profitable tourism industry is however dependent upon transportation infrastructure. This research evaluates the effects of the Heðinsfjorður tunnels on the flow of tourists in the northern Trollaskagi region in order to clarify the effects of infrastructure improvements on tourism in peripheral areas. The study employs an integrated methodology of automatic traffic counters, traffic surveys, tourist surveys and official registration of tourist accommodation. The results suggest that the number of tourists in the municipality of Fjallabyggð has grown by about one-half after the opening of the tunnels as the municipality has become part of the Eyjafjorður tourism region and a destination between the capital region and the city of Akureyri. The Heðinsfjorður tunnels thus have contributed to the growth of tourism and a more diverse labor market in an area suffering from a decline in population and the primary industries. The tunnels have however had a limited impact in Skagafjorður and possibilities of a continuous tourism region spanning the area from Sauðarkrokur in the west to Husavik in the east and from Siglufjorður in the north to Akureyri in the south have not yet been realized. Such changes do not automatically follow infrastructure improvements but depend on a coordinated effort of government and local actors.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"101 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122320223","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.3
Þorsteinn Magnússon
Almost a century has passed since Althingi, the Parliament of Iceland, introduced, in 1916, the method of allocating seats to Members by drawing lots at the start of each session. This arrangement is not customary in any other national parliament in the world. It has never been established why this particular method of allocating seats was introduced in Althingi. Neither has it been mapped out how the allocation was conducted, what the Members thought of it nor what impact, if any, the arrangement had on the relations of Members and the workings of Althingi. This article therefore presents the first study of this subject in Iceland. The article also places the seat allocation procedure of Althingi in an international context, as the general rule in parliaments around the world is that Members are seated together in parliamentary party groups. The conclusions of the study are, among other things, that the seat allocation by lot was probably modelled on the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, where seats were allocated by lot from 1845-1913. The study also reveals that over 40 years passed until seat allocation by lot became fully established procedure in Althingi. In the Upper House seats were not allocated by lot at the great majority of sessions until 1959 and Members appear to have been mainly seated along party lines. In the Lower House it was common for some Members to exchange seats following the drawing of lots, and for some time attempts were made to introduce seating by parliamentary party, but the efforts were unsuccessful due to insufficient support. Since 1959 there has not been any disagreement regarding the drawing of lots for seats. Generally speaking, Members appear to hold the opinion that the seating arrangement in Althingi has a positive impact on personal relations, is a positive counterbalance to the division of Members into government supporters and opposition members and that the allocation of seats by lot is a fair method of assigning seats. The Althingi experience of allocating seats by drawing lots therefore indicates that seating arrangement can matter to Members.
{"title":"Seating arrangement in Althingi","authors":"Þorsteinn Magnússon","doi":"10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.3","url":null,"abstract":"Almost a century has passed since Althingi, the Parliament of Iceland, introduced, in 1916, the method of allocating seats to Members by drawing lots at the start of each session. This arrangement is not customary in any other national parliament in the world. It has never been established why this particular method of allocating seats was introduced in Althingi. Neither has it been mapped out how the allocation was conducted, what the Members thought of it nor what impact, if any, the arrangement had on the relations of Members and the workings of Althingi. This article therefore presents the first study of this subject in Iceland. The article also places the seat allocation procedure of Althingi in an international context, as the general rule in parliaments around the world is that Members are seated together in parliamentary party groups. The conclusions of the study are, among other things, that the seat allocation by lot was probably modelled on the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, where seats were allocated by lot from 1845-1913. The study also reveals that over 40 years passed until seat allocation by lot became fully established procedure in Althingi. In the Upper House seats were not allocated by lot at the great majority of sessions until 1959 and Members appear to have been mainly seated along party lines. In the Lower House it was common for some Members to exchange seats following the drawing of lots, and for some time attempts were made to introduce seating by parliamentary party, but the efforts were unsuccessful due to insufficient support. Since 1959 there has not been any disagreement regarding the drawing of lots for seats. Generally speaking, Members appear to hold the opinion that the seating arrangement in Althingi has a positive impact on personal relations, is a positive counterbalance to the division of Members into government supporters and opposition members and that the allocation of seats by lot is a fair method of assigning seats. The Althingi experience of allocating seats by drawing lots therefore indicates that seating arrangement can matter to Members.","PeriodicalId":294103,"journal":{"name":"Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration","volume":"640 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123080041","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 : 2014-12-15DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2014.10.2.15
Guðjón Ingi Guðjónsson, S. Gunnarsdottir
Servant leadership is a philosophy of communication and leadership whith focus on decentralization, autonomy, mutual respect and commitment to society. In light of universities’ important societal role and importance of equality of academic staff it is presumed that servant leadership suits a university. Prior research indicates the value of servant leadership for universities’ performance. The purpose of the study was to assess servant leadership in the University of Iceland and its correlation with staff job satisfaction using a new Dutch instrument (SLS) measuring participants’ attitudes to their next superior. A single item job satisfaction question was included. Results showed considerable practice of servant leadership or 4,19 (scale: 1-6) and the strongest servant leadership characteristic was stewardship, followed by forgiveness and empowerment. 82,6% of participants reported job satisfaction with significant positive correlation with servant leadership. The relatively high degree of servant leadership supports previous study of the uiniversity’s working environment but not recent American studies indicating universities’ a low degree of servant leadership. The degree of servant leadership in the University of Iceland was lower compared to grammar schools (6,46) and general hospital wards (4,33) but identical to hospital emergency care units (4,19). Significant positive correlation of servant leadership with job satisfaction, confirms similar relationships in US universities and in various institutions in Iceland. Results indicate the importance of servant leadership for employees’ job satisfaction, not least empowerment and courage, and this has the potential to support peer management, employee independence and social responsibility of the University of Iceland.
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