Swedish Formal Instruction Dataset

Data source: QoG Swedish Agency Database

Go to the original dataset webpage

Description:

This database consists of a comprehensive sample of administrative agencies in the Swedish executive bureaucracy between 1960 and 2014. The database is constituted by three distinct datasets: one that focuses on an agency's formal instruction; one that focuses on an agency's head; and one that focuses on an agency's budget. Note that each dataset has its own unit of analysis. The agency's head data can be found at SND.

The data was originally assembled for the project "The Politics of Administrative Design" (financed by the Swedish Research Council through grant 2014-947), which focused on how partisan shifts in government can affect the staff, structure, and process of public bureaucracies. The purpose of the dataset is to provide a quantitative catalogue of Swedish agencies for public use.

For the instruction data, one observation corresponds to one agency instruction, while the variables cover factors such as the agency's management structure and formal functions.

Finally, all three datasets contain relevant time-period indicators to enable users to determine the temporal coverage of an observation (e.g., enactment and revocation dates for the instructions). In total, the database covers 1925 agency instructions, 2315 agency heads, and 7102 fiscal years.

Importantly, while each dataset has its own unit of analysis, we have also included a unifying agency identification number that can be used to link variables across all three datasets. For example, suppose that we are interested in the School Inspectorate ("Skolinspektionen"). We can then start our investigation in either of the three datasets, and use the agency's ID number to match the agency's various instructions, heads, and budgets over time. Note, however, that because the units do not perfectly overlap (e.g., one fiscal year may cover more than one agency head), merging the datasets will require substantive decisions about how to structure the information in each dataset. For this reason, we have left it to the user's discretion to decide whether and how to merge the datasets, rather than impose any particular structure on all three datasets. In total, the database contains information on 664 unique agencies.

Last updated by source: 2018-09-09

Dataset type: Time-Series
Dataset level: Other

Citation:

When using this dataset, please cite as:
• Dahlström, Carl, Holmgren, M., Björkdal, C., Hazell, K., Khomenko, A., Svensson, R., & Åberg, P. (2018). Swedish administrative agencies, 1960-2014. University of Gothenburg: The Quality of Government Institute.



Variables in this dataset:

Advisory Council Chair
QoG Code: agency_acchair

Denotes whether the agency head is also the chairman of the advisory council (rådets ordförande). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Advisory Council Business Representation
QoG Code: agency_acrepbu

Denotes whether the advisory council must include a business representative. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Advisory Council Other Representation
QoG Code: agency_acrepoth

Denotes whether the advisory council must include a representative from a group other than a business or union (e.g. the chair might be required to have experience as a judge). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Advisory Council Union Representation
QoG Code: agency_acrepun

Denotes whether the council must have a union representative. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Adjudication
QoG Code: agency_adjud

Denotes whether an agency is authorized to resolve legal disputes (rättstvister). Swedish law distinguishes between court agencies and administrative agencies, yet some administrative agencies have nonetheless been granted rights that make them function quite similarly to courts. The National Board of Consumer Disputes (Allmnna reklamationsnämnden), for example, processes disputes between consumers and business operators and can submit recommendations on how a dispute should be resolved. If an agency is also tasked with supervision (see section 2.4.14), the resolution may also involve sanctions. The Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Inspektionen för vård och omsorg), for example, processes public charges against healthcare providers and can impose sanctions for non-compliance with the Patient Safety Act. Similarly, the Equality Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen) processes public charges of workplace discrimination and can impose sanctions for non-compliance with The Discrimination Act. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Board Chair
QoG Code: agency_bchair

Denotes whether the agency head is also the chairman of the board (styrelsens ordförande). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Board Agency
QoG Code: agency_board

Denotes whether an agency is led by a board (styrelse). A board agency (styrelsemyndighet) is an agency where the agency head is hierarchically subordinate to a collective decision-making body, similarly to the relationship between a board of directors and a chief executive officer in a firm. Note that the agency instruction rarely places any limitations on the type of individuals that can be appointed to the board (but see section 2.3.3, 2.3.4, 2.3.5, 2.3.6). Instead, the standard rule is usually some variant of the board is appointed by the government on a fixed-term. Obtaining information about individual board members thus usually requires delving into the agency's actual personnel records. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Board Business Representation
QoG Code: agency_brepbu

Denotes whether the board must include a business representative. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Board Other Representation
QoG Code: agency_brepoth

Denotes whether the board must include a representative from a group other than a business or union (e.g. the chair might be required to have experience as a judge). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Board Union Representation}
QoG Code: agency_brepun

Denotes whether the board must include a union representative. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Committee Chair
QoG Code: agency_cchair

Denotes whether the agency head is also the chairman of the committee (nämndens ordförande). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Collaboration
QoG Code: agency_collab

Denotes whether an agency is obligated to collaborate (samverka) with other agencies. While some agencies are allowed to operate without concern for other agencies, many agencies also face formal demands that they must somehow work together with other agencies. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket), for example, is obligated to collaborate with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (Havs- och vattenmyndigheten) on issues of significance for the marine and water environment. Such requirements are rarely specified in any detail, however, typically leaving it up to the agencies themselves to determine the form of the collaboration (and to later demonstrate to their political principal that they have, in fact, collaborated adequately). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Committee Agency
QoG Code: agency_committee

Denotes whether an agency is a committee (nämnd). A committee agency (nämndmyndighet) is an agency that is nothing more than a collective decision-making body. In the Swedish case, committees can sometimes be authorized to create their own administrative offices, but if they do, they usually remain small, and with the committee chair taking on the role as agency head (alternatively, they can sometimes also be authorized to utilize the administrative offices of larger agencies). Note that the agency instruction rarely places any limitations on the type of individuals that can be appointed to the committee (but see section 2.3.8, 2.3.9, 2.3.10, 2.3.11). Instead, the standard rule is usually some variant of the committee is appointed by the government on a fixed-term. Obtaining information about individual committee members thus usually requires delving into the agency's actual personnel records. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Advisory Council
QoG Code: agency_council

Denotes whether an agency includes an advisory council (insynsråd, rådgivande nämnd, expertråd, etc). An advisory council is a collective decision-making body that lacks formal agenda-setting powers but can offer recommendations to the agency's leadership. Advisory councils are the most common among agencies led by a single agency head, but can also feature in agencies led by a board. Note that the agency instruction rarely places any limitations on the type of individuals that can be appointed to the council (but see section 2.3.13, 2.3.14, 2.3.15, 2.3.16). Instead, the standard rule is usually some variant of the council is appointed by the government on a fixed-term. Obtaining information about individual council members thus usually requires delving into the agency's actual personnel records. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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County Administration
QoG Code: agency_county

Denotes whether an agency is a county administration (länsstyrelse). The county administrations act as the national government's representatives on the local level and are usually headed by former politicians. Note that the county administrations have a shared instruction. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Committee Business Representation
QoG Code: agency_crepbu

Denotes whether the committee must include a business representative. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Committee Other Representation
QoG Code: agency_crepoth

Denotes whether the committee must include a representative from a group other than a business or union (e.g. the chair might be required to have experience as a judge). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Committee Union Representation
QoG Code: agency_crepun

Denotes whether the committee must have a union representative. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Education
QoG Code: agency_edu

Denotes whether an agency is a university or college (universitet eller högskola). Note that the universities and colleges have a shared instruction. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Instruction Effective (Date)
QoG Code: agency_effective

Lists the date by which an agency instruction takes effect. Note that there is often a time-lag between the date of issue and the date of effect. 9999 = Missing

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Termination (Year)
QoG Code: agency_endyear

Denotes an agency's termination year. The determination of when exactly an agency ceases to exist is no trivial matter and should ideally be guided by an explicit theory of organizational boundaries. For this variable, we consider an agency to be terminated if its name, head, and instruction are revoked in the same year. So, for example, the National Board of Education (Skolöverstyrelsen), terminated in 1991, is considered a different agency from The National Agency of Education (Skolverket), enacted in 1991, because the two agencies have different names, heads, and instructions. For cases where we have been unable to acquire information on all three attributes, we have relied on the aforementioned yearbooks and other independent statements issued by the government to determine termination years. 9998 = Censored (i.e. still in operation by the end of the observation period) 9999 = Missing

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Evaluation
QoG Code: agency_eval

Denotes whether an agency is authorized to evaluate the performance of their policy domain (utvärdering). Many agencies have it as part of their mission to systematically appraise the effects of political interventions in public life, either to assure a satisfactory degree of achievement, or to lay a foundation for new reforms. Prominent examples include the Swedish Agency for Public Management (Statskontoret), the Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket), and the National Institute for Economic Research (Konjukturinstitutet). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Agency ID
QoG Code: agency_id

Denotes an agency’s identification number. By "agency" we mean any public organization formally authorized to exercise public authority on behalf of either the government or the parliament.

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Information-sharing
QoG Code: agency_info

Denotes whether an agency is obligated to disseminate information. Many agencies have it as part of their mission to ensure that affected stakeholders are well-informed about new policy developments. The National Agency for Education (Skolverket), for example, organises regular workshops aimed at keeping local practitioners up to date with the law. Such requirements are rarely specified in any detail, however, typically leaving it up to the agencies themselves to determine the form of the dissemination (and to later demonstrate to their political principal that they have, in fact, shared their information adequately). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Instruction Number
QoG Code: agency_instruction

Lists the document that formally authorizes an agency's operations. In the Swedish case, agencies can be authorized either by law or executive order (see section 2.2.7), with a given authorization formally referred to as an agency instruction (myndighetsinstruktion). Catalogue-wise, the instructions are denoted by (year:number) and published by the government in the Swedish Code of Statutes (Svensk författningssamling). Content-wise, they typically focus on an agency's overarching rights and responsibilities, but rarely contain any specific policy orders. footnote{For example, consider the instruction for the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (SFS2013:176). The instruction contains eleven paragraphs. $1 S$ states that the agency is responsible for supervising the provision of health and social care, processing public complaints against providers and their employees, and issuing permits in its policy domain. $2 S$ states that The purpose of the supervision is to assure that the public receives health and social care that is safe, of good quality, and compliant with the law. $3 S$ and $3a S$ states that the agency must deliver an annual report to the government and produce statistics of relevance for its mission. $4 S$ states that the agency must collaborate with other agencies operating in its policy domain. $5 S$ states that the agency is led by an agency head. $6 S$ states that the agency has an advisory council. $7 S$ states that the agency head is a Director-General. $8 S$ states that the agency has a disciplinary board (personalansvarsnämnd). $9 S$ and $10 S$ references two laws concerning internal auditing and employee rights that the agency must apply. $11 S$ states that the agency is allowed to offer certain goods and services in exchange for a fee. In practice, however, an agency will of course also be subject to a variety of additional laws and ordinances not covered by this dataset (e.g. the Administrative Procedures Act, the Instrument of Government, and the various appropriation directives).} Note that, while the dataset includes all organizations authorized by an instruction during the observed period, it also excludes any organization not authorized by an instruction during the observed period. footnote{Further note that, since we only count an organization as an agency if it is authorized by an agency instruction, we automatically exclude many ad hoc delegations from the dataset. For example, in response to new political developments, the government can sometimes send out written departemental orders demanding the enactment of a new advisory council or commission of inquiry, but without any real expectations of permanence. Such delegations can sometimes also have their own budget lines and carry their own political appointees. However, they are only rarely authorized through unique agency instructions---which in the Swedish context would bestow them with a certain level of legal autonomy from the government thanks to higher-order constitutional rules. Instead, they are typically authorized through less formalized ordinances that never enter the Code of Statutes. And as long as they are excluded from the Code of Statutes, they will also be excluded from this dataset (for reference, the Swedish Agency for Public Management, which is the government's central agency for evaluating state-funded activities, also only counts an organization as an agency if the organization is authorized by an instruction).}

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Instruction Issued (Date)
QoG Code: agency_issued

Lists the date when an agency instruction was issued. Note that there is often a time-lag between the date of issue and the date of effect. 9999 = Missing

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Instruction Legal Type
QoG Code: agency_law

Denotes whether an agency instruction is a law (lag). Note that the vast majority of agencies are authorized by the government through executive order (förordning) without any direct involvement from the parliament. Of the handful of parliamentary agencies included in the sample, the most prominent are The Parliamentary Ombudsmen (Riksdagens Ombudsmän), The Riksbank (Riksbanken), and The Swedish National Audit Office (Riksrevisionen)---all three of which have their basic organizations defined in the constitution. 0 = Executive order 1 = Law 9999 = Missing

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Minister Department
QoG Code: agency_ministry

Lists the department of the minister that signed an agency's instruction. Note that the government can sometimes move an agency from one ministerial portfolio to another without issuing a new authorization. Consequently, the variable does not necessarily indicate an agency's current department. 9999 = Missing

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Minister Name
QoG Code: agency_minname

Lists the name of the minister that signed an agency's instruction. 9999 = Missing

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Minister Party
QoG Code: agency_minparty

Lists the political party of the minister that signed an agency's instruction. 9999 = Missing

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Agency Name
QoG Code: agency_name

Lists the name of an agency. Note that an agency can have more than one name throughout its lifespan.

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Permissions
QoG Code: agency_permit

Denotes whether an agency is authorized to process and issue permits (tillståndsprövning). Many agencies are designed to function as gatekeepers, armed with the authority to either grant or deny people access to certain privileges. In Sweden, the currently perhaps most politically salient example is the Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), which determines which immigrants are allowed to take up long-term residence within the nation's borders. But many other agencies have analogous veto-powers within their respective policy domains: before launching a charter school, one must first apply for permission from the School Inspectorate (Skolinspektionen); before selling medical drugs, one must first apply for permission from the Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket); before driving a car, one must first apply for permission from the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen); and so forth. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Police Authority
QoG Code: agency_police

Denotes whether an agency is a regional police authority (regional polismyndighet). For most of the observed period, Sweden had one police authority for each county. Note that the police authorities have a shared instruction. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Policy Proposals
QoG Code: agency_policy

Denotes whether an agency is obligated to provide its political principal with policy proposals. While it is well-known that Swedish ministers often have extensive informal contacts with many agencies regarding the government's choice of policies, some agencies also have it as part of their formal mission to supply their political principal with policy relevant advice, guidance, or support. Prominent examples include the Swedish Public Employment Agency (Arbetsförmedlingen), the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket), and the Swedish Energy Agency (Statens Energimyndighet). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Political Principal
QoG Code: agency_principal

Denotes whether an agency is accountable to the parliament or the government. Note that, since the constitutional reform of 1974, all administrative agencies are accountable to the government, unless a law states otherwise. 0 = Government 1 = Parliament 9999 = Missing

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Redistribution
QoG Code: agency_redist

Denotes whether an agency is authorized to redistribute government funds (statliga bidrag). Many agencies receive funds from their political principal under the obligation that those funds should then be redistributed to other individuals, groups, or organizations. A large part of the public universities' research projects, for example, are financed externally by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet). Other prominent examples include the National Board of Student Aid (Centrala Studiestödsnämnden), the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (Boverket), and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Reporting Requirement
QoG Code: agency_report

Denotes whether an agency is obligated to deliver an annual report to its political principal. Note that an agency can also receive additional reporting requirements (e.g. regarding the implementation of a specific program) as part of the annual appropriations process. Consequently, this variable does not necessarily indicate whether an agency is subject to any reporting requirement; it only denotes whether an agency is obligated to provide an annual report of its activities. 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Research
QoG Code: agency_research

Denotes whether an agency is obligated to perform research (forskning). The most prominent research institutions are of course the universities. But many other agencies also perform research functions within their policy domains. Examples include the National Food Agency (Livesmedelsverket), the National Agency for Special Needs and Schools (Specialpedagogiska skolmyndigheten), and the Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Instruction Revoked (Date)
QoG Code: agency_revoked

Lists the date when an agency instruction was revoked. Permanent revocations are usually issued as a generic executive order or law (depending on how the agency was authorized). Note, however, that when an agency receives a new mission or is otherwise subjected to some form of major reorganization, the agency can also receive a new instruction that revokes the old instruction. Consequently, the variable does not necessarily indicate that an agency ceases its operations (i.e. while an agency can only have one instruction at a time, it might well receive several different instructions throughout its lifespan). 9998 = Censored (i.e. still in effect by the end of the observation period) 9999 = Missing

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Rulemaking
QoG Code: agency_rule

Denotes whether an agency is authorized to issue legally binding regulations (föreskrifter). While some agencies only have the right to implement the law of the land, other agencies can have the right to write their own rules and publish their own Code of Statutes. Prominent examples include the National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket), the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), and the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Enactment (Year)
QoG Code: agency_startyear

Denotes an agency's enactment year. The determination of when exactly a new agency comes into existence is no trivial matter and should ideally be guided by an explicit theory of organizational boundaries. For this variable, we consider an agency to be a new agency if it receives a name, head, and instruction that differ from any previously existing agencies. So, for example, the National Board of Education (Skolöverstyrelsen), terminated in 1991, is considered a different agency from the National Agency of Education (Skolverket), enacted in 1991, because the two agencies have different names, heads, and instructions. For the agencies that were enacted before our observation began, we have relied on the aforementioned yearbooks to determine enactment years and, failing that, encyclopaedias (a few agencies in the sample have existed in some capacity for centuries, e.g. the Riksbank). 9999 = Missing

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Supervision
QoG Code: agency_super

Denotes whether an agency is authorized to enforce the law. Supervision (tillsyn) does not have a precise legal definition, but when an agency is formally designated as a supervisory agency (tillsynsmyndighet), it typically implies that the agency has the right to initiate its own investigations, demand information from regulatory subjects, and sanction non-compliance. Prominent examples include the Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen), the School Inspectorate (Skolinspektionen), and the Swedish Competition Agency (Konkurrensverket). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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Unitary Agency
QoG Code: agency_unitary

Denotes whether an agency is led by a single agency head. We distinguish unitary agencies from board agencies (see section 2.3.2) and committee agencies (see section 2.3.7). Additionally, we also distinguish agencies that include an advisory council (see section 2.3.12). 0 = No 1 = Yes 9999 = Missing

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