The Challenges of Building Trust: Reputation and Brand Management in Municipalities, 2013

Norwegian municipalities are arenas for various activities related to reputation and brand management. This project studied these activities in detail. As very limited research existed, this project filled a number of empirical and theoretical gaps. The purpose was to determine how reputation and brand management initiatives unfolded, how they were manifested externally, and to identify their effects. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, the project focused on central issues such as the politics of branding, formalization and control, the content of self-presentation, differentiation issues, symbolic aspects, the revitalizing potential for local democracy, and the implications for governance and policy.