Making a Difference: Strategic Positioning in Municipal Reputation Building

Arild Wæraas

Local Government Studies, 2015, vol. 41, issue 2, 280-300

Abstract: This article adds to current literature on municipal competitiveness by examining the positioning strategies of Norwegian municipalities. Norwegian municipalities are faced with strong similarity pressures from both central government and regional peers, but are also expected to differentiate and tailor services to local needs. Following the introduction of reputation management, differentiation pressures grow stronger. This study shows how concerns of reputation, differentiation and municipal competitiveness are connected and integrated into strategic thinking, but also that similarity concerns and pressures influence the level of differentiation. The article discusses the general implications of these findings for our understanding of the tension between similarity and difference in a local government context as it relates to reputation management work at the municipal level of government.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1080/03003930.2014.930025

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