Walking a mile in their shoes —How local politicians reason about trade-off decisions

In times of increased financial constraints and ageing population, politicians must make difficult trade-off decisions that challenge their legitimacy in the eyes of the public. This is not least the case at local level where policy issues tend to be more immediate and comprehensible to individuals than policy decisions at the national level. Analysing originally collected responses from over 800 Swedish local politicians through free-text questions, we examine the perspectives of those responsible for making difficult trade-off decisions, as well as their strategies for generating public acceptance. Our findings show that politicians are prepared to make difficult trade-offs, but also that they expect the public to do their part by engaging in constructive dialogue and accepting reasonable justifications. The study thereby provides a practice-based understanding of the considerations of local politicians that can inform contemporary debates on democratic representation and the role of citizens in political decision-making.