“Då är det dött på riktigt” : Välfärd, periferi och politisk tillit i tre värmländska glesbygdskommuner

Sammanfattning

This study examines how welfare changes and challenges are portrayed in rural municipalities and how these portrayals relate to expressions of political trust and demographic legitimacy at the local level. Previous research has primarily focused on the structural and demographic challenges facing rural municipalities, while less attention has been paid to how welfare changes are portrayed and interpreted in local contexts. The study focuses on three rural municipalities in Värmland County: Filipstad, Hagfors and Årjäng. The theoretical framework is based on the centre-periphery perspective and theory of political trust. The study applies a qualitative document analysis of municipal policy documents together with local media material consisting of news articles, letters to the editor and debate articles published during the period 2022 to March 2026. Trough a thematic analysis, the study investigates how welfare issues, particularly within education and elderly care, are described, interpreted and discussed, and how expressions of dissatisfaction are related to political trust in local contexts. The findings indicate recurring expressions of concern regarding welfare cutbacks, staffing shortages, centralisation of services and perceived inequalities in resource allocation. The analysis suggests that dissatisfaction arising from perceived deterioration in welfare services, unequal resource allocation and limited political influence can be understood through a centre-pheriphery perspective and may, in some cases, be associated with reduced political trust in local democratic institutions. Differences between the municipalities are identified, but common patterns emerge regarding tensions between political ambitions expressed in municipal documents and perceptions expressed in local public debate. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between welfare, dissatisfaction, political trust and local democratic legitimacy in Swedish rural municipalities.