Service utan lokal närvaro? Förändringar av statlig direktservice i Dalarnas län under 2000-talet

During the 2000s, government authorities have reduced their local presence in rural areas. This study shows the extent of the rationalization in a case study of the region of Dalarna. Rural areas nearby larger cities have been worst hit, yet sparsely populated areas are most affected since services are withdrawn from several municipalities at the same time. Authorities use different economy measures, such as commissioning another authority to deliver local service or to give distance-based service through technical solutions. This creates multiple levels of service of varying quality. Cooperation between authorities and municipalities in order to maintain service is generally restricted to spots for information and distribution of forms but not for case-specific service. Thereby, the possibility to choose between local service and phone or web-based solutions is lost.