Documentation of Units and Unit Types
Units and Classification
The Norwegian State Administration Database defines and classifies what constitutes the state administration and its special organisations along two key dimensions: affiliation type and organisational type.
Form of Affiliation – What Constitutes an Organisation in the State Administration?
Affiliation type describes the formal organisational structure of the state and how organizations are related to the central political authorities. This classification influences governance principles, ministerial responsibility, legal status, funding, budget affiliation, financial accountability, employee rights, and the application of transparency and administrative laws.
There are three main types:
Government Agencies (with three subcategories)
| Code | Affiliation Type | Legal Status | Governing Authority & Principles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Ordinary civil service organisation | Part of the state | King/Ministry through instruction |
| 31 | Civil service organisation with extended special authority | Part of the state | King/Ministry through instruction |
| 32 | Government administrative enterprise | Part of the state | King/Ministry through instruction |
State-Owned Companies (with six subcategories)
| Code | Affiliation Type | Legal Status | Governing Authority & Principles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Government limited companies | Separate legal entity | General assembly, state ownership |
| 42 | Hybrid companies established by special law | Separate legal entity | General assembly, state ownership |
| 43 | State-owned enterprise ("statsforetak," a type of state organisation peculiar to Norway) | Separate legal entity | Enterprise meeting, state ownership |
| 44 | State company under the 1965 law (historical) | Separate legal entity | General assembly, state ownership |
| 45 | Limited companies with the state as majority owner | Separate legal entity | General assembly, state ownership |
| 46 | Regional health trusts | Separate legal entity | Enterprise meeting, state ownership |
Foundations (Grant Management) – Two Subcategories
| Code | Affiliation Type | Legal Status | Governing Authority & Principles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Central foundation (founded by a ministry alone or in cooperation with other organisation(s)) | Independent legal entity | Board, self-governing |
| 51 | Fringe foundations (founded by another civil service organisation alone or in cooperation with other organisation(s)) | Independent legal entity | Board, self-governing |
Special Categories in the Norwegian State Administration Database
| Code | Affiliation Type |
|---|---|
| 10 | Ministry |
| 15 | Agency |
| 35 | Funding body |
| -600 | Parliament |
| -500 | Government |
| -1 | State |
| -550 | Public committee |
| -1200 | Municipalities |
| -1100 | County authorities |
| -1400 | Non-profit sector |
| -1300 | Private sector |
These codes help track where entities transition when they leave or enter the state administration.
The Directorate for IKT and Administration (Difi) has published a guide highlighting key aspects of an organisation's connection to the state: Guide 2014:1 – "From State to Market: A Guide on Separation of Operations from the State." This guide provides an overview of key considerations and justifications for choosing an affiliation type and whether an entity should be organised within or outside the state.
What are Counted and How - Organisational Type
The Norwegian state's administration is very complex along the vertical as well as the horizontal dimension. This sometimes makes it difficult to tell what constitutes one state organization. Government units can be classified based on how they are structured as single organisations. The classification of an entity has a significant impact on the total number of organisations and how they are counted.
The database attend to the hierarchy problem by describing the basic type of organization in question. The organizations in the database are divided into three different main categories:
1. National Single Bodies
National single civil service organizations directly subordinate to a ministry without area-specific subordinated units (regional or local offices). The database covers all units in this category. Moreover, for practical reasons, all state-owned companies and all governmental foundations are recorded as a national single organization, although several of them are organized as complex hierarchies.
Example: The Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet).
2. Integrated Civil Service Organisations
Services directly under a ministry that consist of a central (national) unit and multiple area-specific regional/local offices (integrated civil service organizations). All central units in services are mapped, but not all of their regional and local offices. The offices that are reporting to a central national unit may be registered in the database in two different ways:
- Detailed: Every single unit is registered in the database under its particular integrated civil service organization.
- Aggregated: Groups are shown as aggregated numbers in the database under their respective integrated civil service organization. Groups registered in this way are usually large, complex groups like tax offices, post offices, etc.
Example: NAV (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) can be seen as a single organisation, but when counting all its units—including the central directorate, special units, and local offices—the total number reaches several hundred.
3. Groups of Similar Organisations
Area-specific units with similar tasks reporting directly to a ministry are grouped together and counted as one. However, in some instances units that make up a group are also registered individually in the database (e.g., higher education organizations). Thus, units included in a group may be registered in the database in two different ways:
- Detailed: Every single unit is registered in the database under their respective group.
- Aggregated: Units in groups are shown as aggregated numbers in the database under their respective group. Groups registered in this way are usually large, complex groups like embassies, special schools, etc.
Example: "State Colleges"— this group can be counted as a single unit, or each unit can be counted separately. Other examples include county governors, dioceses, and foreign service missions.