Does Local Representation Matter? The Impact of Independent Parties on Citizens’ Political Efficacy at the Municipal Level

This study examines whether the representation and governing status of local political parties influence citizen satisfaction with local democratic governance in Sweden. Drawing on a large dataset comprising 397,629 individual responses from repeated cross-sectional surveys across 263 Swedish municipalities between 2010 and 2019 (207 with at least three waves), the analysis explores associations between local party presence and public evaluations of local governance. Using a composite index of external political efficacy that focuses on the input side of democratic satisfaction, the study employs both hierarchical linear models and fixed-effects panel analyses. The findings suggest that overall, the representation of local parties is associated with slightly lower external political efficacy,when these parties are excluded from governing coalitions. While the effects are generally small, the results suggest that representational inclusion in governing coalitions matters for democratic legitimacy at the local level, especially in contexts of high local party support. External political efficacy isfound to increase cyclically during election years.