Does politics make a difference? Special needs education as anexample. An empirical investigation concerning the relationship between political control of Swedish municipalities and their work with children “in need of special support” is reported. 262 of 290 municipalities answered a questionnaire regarding their work with children with special needs, covering issues such as resources, the identification of such children, organizational models, influence, prevention, cooperation and evaluation. The empirical analysis focuses on questions of an ideological nature concerning, for example, inclusive education. The relationships between type of political control, i.e. left vs. right, and the answers to such questions are very weak. This outcome is interpreted as an expression of professional dominance within the frame of an educational system managed by objectives. Whether this is desirable or not is discussed from the viewpoint of different democratic perspectives.