Across Europe, the public sector is expanding its efforts to introduce data-driven decision-support and intelligent systems in the administration of welfare. The growing body of research that highlights the impact and harms these systems have on citizens’ lives, raises questions about the guiding ideas, values, and norms that are at the heart of current transformations in welfare. Research in critical data studies contends a silent marketisation of social protection and governance. It implies an intricate entanglement between the procedures and output of service provision on the one hand and the normative outcomes in terms of the well-being and flourishing of society as a whole on the other hand. Thinking with the capabilities approach and buen vivir as well as with the concept of data justice, our paper asks how to conceptualise this relation. It discusses how (in)justice may become a sociomaterial component in automated welfare and emphasises that welfare outcomes and welfare practices, including their procedural aspects, are rather co-produced than just interdependent. We conclude that whether future infrastructures of welfare will create public value or not, depends on the institutional arrangements, policies, and norms built to distribute the emerging benefits and risks equally in society.
Through an interview-based study of Swedish public service broadcasting (PSB) companies, I explore the ways in which these institutions react to and interact with a set of normative conceptions of a contemporary digital media ecology characterized by social networking and personalization of the media experience. The respondents were engaged in negotiations of how to realistically maintain public values in a commercially configured online milieu. The nature of organizational adaptation within PSB is found to be complex. Several elements of the Nordic PSB model appear to counteract acquiescence to algorithmically aided personalization: its majoritarian heritage, its institutional caution toward data positivism, favoring more interpretive editorial audience knowledge, and the high costs and structural consequences of making individual users uniquely identifiable. These organizational ambitions and obstacles are embodied in recent innovations that act to mimic a personalized delivery, however, doing so without utilizing algorithmically aided prediction and instead favoring manual editorial selection.
Taking Sweden as a case study, the role of public service broadcasting (PSB) is explored, with a focus on issues of data retention and innovation that accompany web distribution. The issue of predicting audience preferences by means of data retention is investigated, and the related problem of organizational autonomy when interacting with commercial actors in the digital sphere. We hypothesize that previous tendencies towards paternalism might be equally supplemented by tendencies towards so-called “panspectric” surveillance and tracking, given a technological environment where such practices are increasingly common. We argue that the absence of advertising partially helps keep these broadcasters from panspectric temptation. Still, practices such as Facebook integration entail a panspectric element. We ask whether the potential increase in the efficacy of targeting audiences promised by panspectric practices might be offset by its negative impact on civic accountability. Is there a possibility for a “benign,” democratically accountable panspectrocism?
Children have the by law regulated right to an equal education and they also have the right to equivalence in their education. Furthermore, it is also important that their education should lead to equity. Equal, equivalence and equity are different words used in the same context. They stand for somewhat different meanings, but they are used as an important objective of the educational system. Equivalence is a word with a wide meaning and how you define the word might impact your educational practice of equivalence somewhat differently. Although the meaning of equivalence as a concept have differed during the past decades, it is an important part of the school policies in Sweden. This means that although the School law and the Curriculum regulating the Early Childhood Education and Care regards equivalence as an important part of our children’s education, the people implementing the concept might actualize equivalence differently. The purpose of our study is to explore how four principals' and four assistant principals' reasons about their implementation of the equivalent education in preschools from eight different catchment areas. We also wish to study if there are any significant variation in the implementation strategies between the two municipalities (equable in their population) regarding an equal education for the youngest children in the educational system. In our study we used qualitative interviews with prepared questions as a method for gathering our empiric material. After transcribing the interviews, we used specific keywords to search through the material as a preparation for a content analysis of the transcribed interviews. Our theoretical basis used in our results is selected models of implementation strategies, including the aspects that may influence the process of implementation. Our result points to both similarities and variations in our respondents reasoning. We also found that different strategies are used in separate stages of the implementation process. These different strategies also use variations in the distribution of accountability within the chain of implementation participants.
I den skriftliga rapporten ska utvärderarna inledningsvis ge en bakgrund till visionsdokumentets roll och betydelse för den regionala kulturpolitiken samt sätta dokumentet i relation till likartade dokument i ett nationellt perspektiv. Utvärderarna ska även i ett avslutande kapitel eller avsnitt ge rekommendationer och riktlinjer inför Kulturnämndens fortsatta arbete med en ny regional kulturvision.
Populärvetenskaplig rapport från ett projekt om ojämlikhet mellan kvinnliga och manliga anställda och mellan anställda från olika delar av världen i svensk äldrevård samt förslag till förbättrad jämlikhet på arbetsplatserna.
The objective of this study is to examine the role of surface water quality for the decisions by Swedish municipalities to adopt environmental targets and action plans, as well as allocating these decisions to a responsible authority. To this end, we assess how environmental, socioeconomic, and political factors, as well as the availability of environmental expertise, affect these municipal decisions. Questionnaire data from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, in combination with environmental monitoring data and official statistics, are used for the econometric analysis. Results show that: (i) municipalities with bad water quality, greater coastal length, and higher income are more inclined to adopt local policies; (ii) collaboration with interest groups increases the likelihood of adopting local policies; and (iii) municipalities with high Center Party representation tend to set responsibility for environmental policy with the municipal council board.
Many professions in the public sector, such as healthcare staff, social welfare officers and teachers are experiencing a heavier workload and an increasing number of work tasks of growing complexity. This study examines the policy tendency to introduce a stricter division of labour, by delegating lower status tasks professionals preform to assistants, as a key to reduce public sector workload. In contrast, the public sector has been subject to organisational reforms the past 20–30 years resulting in a reduced division of labour among professions. This article explores the reversibility of the division of labour within a local public sector context, and it demonstrates how different micro-level factors may promote or counteract changes in the division of labour at the workplace. A main contribution is the prospect to rethink the capacity of organisational work-related reforms in professional settings directed at processes of division of labour in local public organisations.
Rapportens syfte är att undersöka och diskutera vilka administrativa effekter den indirekta statliga styrningen ger i den kommunala verksamheten. Kommunernas verksamheter styrs av en mängd olika styrsignaler, där styrningen sker i form av direkt, indirekt och efterhandsstyrning. Statliga myndigheter har i detta en roll som uttolkare, översättare och förmedlare av styrning. Studien visar att den komplexa styrbilden, mängden aktörer som är involverade i den indirekta styrningen, hörsammandet av efterhandsstyrningen och dominansen av ängsliga byråkrater och duktiga administratörer tillsammans bidrar till en överproduktion av administration inom skola, förskola och primärvård.
Utgångspunkten för den här rapporten är frågan om det spelar någon roll var i polisorganisationen utredningar av brott i nära relation genomförs. Genom intervjuer med polisanställda på polisområdes- och lokalpolisområdesnivå, åklagare och andra verksamhetsexperter har frågor om utredningsorganisation, arbetsmiljö, samverkan och utredningsresultat avseende brott i nära relation undersökts inom ramen för en försöksverksamhet vid tre lokalpolisområden.
Studien visar att det finns såväl för- som nackdelar med att decentralisera utredningar av brott i nära relation. Fördelarna är bland annat ökade möjligheter till samverkan såväl internt som med det omkringliggande samhället medan nackdelarna kan vara att den specialiserade utredningsverksamheten riskerar att integreras med andra arbetsuppgifter vid lokalpolisområdet.
De rättsstatliga värdena betraktas numera som centrala i en modern demokratisk stat. De brukar sammanfattas med krav på normbunden, opartisk och saklig maktutövning med respekt för allas likhet inför lagen. I den moderna tolkningen ryms även ett krav på ett demokratiskt styrelseskick.
Förvaltningens roll att upprätthålla och värna rättsstaten får vanligtvis inte särskilt mycket uppmärksamhet i olika förvaltningspolitiska studier. Vi har därför låtit ett urval av rättsstatligt intresserade forskare analysera och diskutera utvecklingstendenser och förändringsbehov i den statliga förvaltningen och i förvaltningspolitiken ur ett rättsligt perspektiv.
I antologin lyfter tio forskare bland annat fram de rättsstatliga utmaningar som hänger samman med förhållandet mellan regeringen och myndigheterna. Frågorna som behandlas är relevanta för såväl regeringen som förvaltningen och tjänstemannagruppen i stort. De olika kapitlen handlar främst om den politik och styrning som riksdagen och regeringen riktar mot den statliga förvaltningen. Men eftersom många viktiga statliga åtaganden genomförs inom hela den offentliga förvaltningen berör texterna även kommunala och regionala verksamheter.
A school principal’s workload is recognised as being heavy, with an imbalance between demands and resources. This paper contributes to the development of collective leadership. The principalship constellations of six schools in Sweden were studied with the aim of strengthening the current knowledge about structures and experiences of shared principalship. The empirical basis is qualitative data from interviews with principals and vice-principals. The analytical focus was on how the sharing structures were organised and how the shared principalship was experienced. The results point to a considerable variation in the organisational structures of shared principalship. Despite the type of model, form and constellation, the principals and vice-principals voiced a striking sense of relief in not feeling alone in their duties, as problems and troubles became manageable. An intensified interaction level in the principalship constellation created opportunities to develop competence. Theoretically, this study broadens the invited leadership concept to include horizontal invitations across unit boundaries between principals in different units within the same school. The knowledge contribution of this study is useful in discussing the legal possibilities for shared principalship, which may be especially relevant in times when the Swedish school system is being criticised for not delivering good student outcomes.
In 2005, the Nord Stream Consortium launched a pipeline project with the intention to bring Russian natural gas to Germany across the Baltic Sea. Although this raised crucial issues of Russia-EU-Sweden relations on security, energy and the environment the focus of this report is on the Gotland local government response to the Nord Stream approach, thus illustrating the need for a transversal human geography-political studies perspective. Situated in the heart of the Baltic Sea, and in line with the established Swedish governmental "remiss" procedure of commission and referral for consideration the Gotland authority was requested by the Swedish Government to make a statement about the pipeline. How-ever, before the government was even asked for permission the Nord Stream Consortium with Russian Gazprom as the major shareholder turned to the Gotland authority with an offer they after some conflict-ridden twists and turns, manifested in three policy lines as described in the report, decided not to refuse. A narrative inspired analytical ap-proach is applied to dissect the more or less contradictory standpoints and legitimating arguments posed by the actors in the political process preceding the local authority decision to accept the Nord Stream offer, i.e. the local scale actors were provoked to take a stand on a big issue raised by a huge multinational company. By in detail examining the local political repercussions of the energy project the case study contributes to a trans-disciplinary understanding of multi-scalar/multi-level govern-ance. In an epilogue the report also highlights the sudden turnaround of the local narrative in autumn 2016 when Gotland Regional Authority was on the brink of making a deal with Nord Stream II. The turnaround flashlights the geopolitical position of the island in the crossfire of inter-ests concerning the Baltic Sea Region.
In this case study I research how three archivists at a Swedish municipal experience how the Corona pandemic have affected their work related to providing citizens with access to public records. In the answers from three qualitative interviews with two archivists at the municipal archive and one archivist working in the municipals’ intermediate archive for social services I interpret expressions of flexibility and stability, defined as an ability to adapt to change and usage of existing resources within the organization. The key findings of the study show that the aspect of digitalization, and the already existing digitalized grades, have afforded the archivists' work with some stability. Organizational planning has in turn enabled them a flexible approach to the changes brought by the pandemic. Furthermore, I analyze these findings through the democratic aspect of archives - the right to access public records to gain insight to governmental decisions – and find that some challenges are apparent. But overall, under current circumstances, the effect of the Corona pandemic on the municipals’ archival work with access to public records have been minimal.
This paper develops a decision-based approach to meta-governance by drawing on insights from studies of organization outside of formal organizations. We argue that meta-governance can be analyzed as a form of partial organization of interactive arenas. Meta-governance has become an important concept in theorizing the role of government in contemporary governance, particularly in the context of shaping and providing guidance to different interactive arenas, such as networks and quasi-markets. Meta-governance is, however, also a broad and ambiguous concept, which limits its ability to guide empirical research on the actual practices of governing and the actors involved. Rather than presenting a new perspective on meta-governance, the framework of partial organization enables analysis of the processes behind the formation of meta-governance strategies. By focusing on decision-making, it offers a dynamic understanding of the stepwise development of meta-governance, reflecting an emerging, rather than predefined, rationality of governance arrangements.
Trafikverkets uppgift är att med ett trafikslagsövergripande perspektiv ansvara för långsiktig planering och utbyggnad av transportsystemet för väg- och järnvägstrafik samt sjö- och luftfart. Det praktiska arbetet utförs dock inte inom myndigheten då Trafikverket, från och med 2010 och på regeringens uppdrag, är en renodlad beställarorganisation. Det betyder att staten lämnat över till marknaden det marknaden anses sköta bäst samtidigt som Trafikverket, i sin roll som beställare, ska stå för kravformulering och uppföljning.
Men hur beskriver och förverkligar Trafikverket den renodlade beställarrollen? Och vad betyder det för processer och relationer mellan Trafikverket och övriga aktörer – stora och små entreprenörer – på den marknad där trafikpolitiken ska realiseras?
Emma Ek Österberg är fil. dr i offentlig förvaltning och verksam vid Förvaltningsakademin, Södertörns högskola samt vid Förvaltningshögskolan, Göteborgs universitet.
Kriminella handlingar är oavsett aktör ett samhällsproblem då det påverkar både oskyldiga människor och företag, ett problem som på senaste åren vuxit speciellt bland unga män. Därav inspirationen bakom studien. Syftet med denna studie är att studera dem bakomliggande faktorerna som ligger bakom unga mäns medverkan i kriminalitet. Det empiriska material som används i studien är fyra djupintervjuer med unga män i åldrarna 18–25 som levt ett kriminellt liv. Det teoretiska perspektivet som används i undersökningen är narrativ teori.
Resultatet i studien indikerar att det inte går att fastställa enstaka anledningar som kan tillämpas på alla unga mäns medverkan i kriminalitet, dock så finns det ett gemensamt motiv såsom exempelvis psykiskt missnöje som lett till att dessa unga män sökt sig till att eftersträva någonting dem känns en brist av i sitt liv. Såsom trygghet, en respekt och en acceptans.
Whereas the rise of private space entrepreneurship is indisputable, we contend that contrary to the “NewSpace” narrative, the development of privately owned and operated human spacefaring does not dispel or fundamentally alter the American space dream, but rather implies continuity of the narrative of America as the dominant global space power, specifically regarding a return to the Moon and with the explicit aim of colonizing Mars. Herein, we analyze the continuity of the American space dream and how it is expressed by public and private space actors, as well as being supported by popular culture, entertainment, and an active space enthusiast community. We maintain that the continuity of the American space dream as a unifying national narrative is facilitated by how private spacefaring is dependent on the U.S. Government’s emphasis on the pivotal role of private space industry for space exploration. This dependent relationship provides incentives for private space entrepreneurs to share and leverage the established American space dream. The continuity of the American space dream is achieved through a prevailing, yet reconfigured, government-industrial complex.
This study examines the external effects that can arise from the establishment of solar parks and how these effects can influence societal decisions. Renewable energy sources play a key role in moving towards a sustainable future, where solar parks can be viewed as a sustainable energy source alternative. There is a risk that solar parks can lead to global and local negative externalitiets, which makes it very interesting to study. The study is based on a qualitative method, where interviews were conducted with four stakeholders, containing existing knowledge and insights about solar parks. Empirical materials were also utilized, which consisted of various materials from, environmental assessments, and other reliable sources, to answer our study questions. The results show that the establishment of solar parks can lead to a so called green vs. green- conflic, where there are contradicting interests and opinions. By comparing three existing solar parks, we were able tol understand what role external effects play in the decision making of establishing a solar park, and how public interests, such as food management can also influence this decision. The results also show that the localization prinicple plays a huge role in influencing what external effects that might arise int that specific location.
During the last decade, Swedish local governments have increased input in developing separate communication departments and setting up specific communication functions, such as communications officers. This master’s thesis builds upon an interview study in which eight communications officers in four Swedish local governments (municipalities) describe and reflect upon their own experiences of working with communication in local public administration. The study draws on neo-institutionalist theory, more specifically on the theories of institutional logics. Based on the interview statements, I have tried to distinguish reflections of institutional logics, and conflict and interplay between logics, on different levels influencing communications officers and communication activity within the local government organisations. As reference points, I have used three ideal types of institutional logics; a democratic logic, an economic logic and a professional logic. Overall, an image has emerged of the local government communications officer as part of a complex institutional environment, in daily work compelled to adapt to different types of values and logics, and often engaged in navigating and making choices in the space between two extremes; community information and a more lightsome and shallow ice cream and balloons type of communication. Many communications officers emphasize the importance of the former, democratically encoded, kind of communication. But on the overall level, communications officers rather need to deal with the dominance of an economic logic, expressed for instance in their own descriptions of the surrounding expectations of their occupational role and local government communication in general; expectations of handing out more ice cream and balloons, and telling more happy stories about the municipality, at the expense of the task of carrying out objective information to local citizens.
While domestic environmental agencies are still responsible for follow up the progress of environmental policy, the context of complex and large-scale environmental problems strongly influence the possibility to fulfill policy objectives. This thesis explores a case of bilateral environmental cooperation carried out by Swedish environmental authorities, to analyze how it contributes to governance and governability of environmental issue areas. Qualitative interviews with concerned actors revealed that bilateral cooperation was perceived to fill specific functions for the governability of environmental issues, complementary to other international cooperation. Key perceived qualities of bilateral cooperation were that it enabled trustful relations on working level and served as a door opener for dialogue. Joint policy development by environmental agency peers and demonstrating successful examples were seen as useful for promoting policy change. Applying a perspective of interactive governance, the thesis highlights that goals and activity selection of the studied bilateral cooperation were formed through interactions between the involved agencies and with partner countries. Bureaucratic structure and discourses on international cooperation constitute important limitations to the development and use of bilateral environmental cooperation. The study recommends governability assessment as a tool for improving design and follow-up of international environmental cooperation. Governability assessment analyzes the role that the interaction, and the interacting organization play in a governing system of an environmental issue area. The thesis adds to previous research on global environmental governance with empirical examples of the role bilateral interactions plays in the governing systems, as well as the specific qualities perceived by actors as crucial to the role. It also provides recommendations on how to further analyze initiatives by actors aiming to exercise environmental leadership in a diverse or fragmented institutional context of global environmental governance.
Begreppet ”oberoende” används allt mer frekvent i samband med olika former av granskning. Ofta menas då att granskaren är oberoende från den granskade, till exempel genom att de tillhör olika organisationer. Men vad händer när oberoendeidealet ska praktiseras inom en organisation? Med internrevision inom Polisen som utgångspunkt studerar Ingrid Gustafsson hur och vad som ska skiljas åt för att berättelsen om oberoende ska bli trovärdig. Det är alltså inte en värdering av oberoendet som står i fokus, utan arbetet för att skapa det.
Med hjälp av begreppet ”gränsarbete” studerar hon hur oberoende granskning hanteras och skapas generellt och bidrar samtidigt, mer specifikt, till en större förståelse för internrevisionens praktik och villkor.
Den 1 januari 2015 sjösattes den största omorganisationen i svensk statsförvaltning någonsin. Polisen gick samman till en enda myndighet, från att ha varit 21 länsmyndigheter och en Rikspolisstyrelse. I den här boken beskrivs hur polisreformen 2015 gick till, och omorganisationen förklaras med hjälp av teorier om organisationsförändring och reformer. Författaren utgår ifrån två grundläggande idéer: att polisen i princip består av två organisationer – själva polisarbetet respektive den administrativa stödverksamheten – samt att reformer i polisen har en längre historia, vilket påverkar både hur man tänker kring organisering och styrning och möjligheterna att genomföra reformer. Ambitionen är att beskriva vad som hände, men också att förstå och i viss mån förklara varför det blev en reform, varför den genomfördes på det sätt som gjordes och varför den inte riktigt blev som man tänkt sig.