Research
The main focus of my research is political processes. This means that the empirical scope of my research is wide encompassing the development of the welfare state, globalization and ideological shifts and, primarily, how these macro trends impact politics on national, regional and local levels. These issues are often theoretically informed by a neo-institutional perspective highlighting issues of power and democracy.
The area that I have focused on mostly during recent years is the challenges from global climate change and how these challenges are handled by society. A special interest here is if and how institutionalized political practices and norms facilitates or hinders collective action. This latter interest has entailed an increased interest in political theoretical perspectives and a critical scrutiny of the role of politics and ideologies (neo-liberalism) in climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.
Recent publications
I am a co-author on the open access article "An Integrative Research Framework to Unravel the Interplay
of Natural Hazards and Vulnerabilities" (2018) published in the journal Earth's Futures.You can read the article here.
I have co-edited, and co-authored four chapters in, the book Local Action on Climate Change: Opportunities and Constraints (2018). You find more information about the book here.
I have authored the chapter "Strong local government moving to the market? The case of low carbon futures in the city of Örebro, Sweden" (2018) that is included in the book Rethinkning Urban Transitions: Politics in the Low Carbon City. You find more information about the book here.
On-going research
I am a researcher in the project "Procurement for Sustainable Innovation in the Built Environment", funded by The Swedish Research Council Formas. Procurement is a fundamental driving force for innovation in the built environment but may also be an obstacle to change. Today, it is a problem that traditional price-focused procurement strategies are too often used when new goals for economic, ecological and social sustainability call for more flexible and innovation-oriented approaches.
I am the programme leader for "Reduced climate risks in future housing and dwelling - learning from previous events and societal planning", funded by Stiftelsen länsförsäkringars forskningsfond. Future consequences of extreme weather are shaped not only by the climate and weather as such but is also closely connected to how we, by using contemporary knowledge, build our society in ways that can result in vulnerabilities we bring with us into the future.
Från den 1/1, 2018, ingår jag också i ett av MSB finansierat femårigt forskningsprogram med fokus på samhällsresiliens. I projektet intresserar vi oss empiriskt för områdena klimatanpassning, flyktingmottagande och radikalisering och teoretiskt för styrning, sociala nätverk och lärande på lokal nivå. Programmet är ett samarbete mellan Centrum för klimat och säkerhet, Risk and Crisis Research Centre (RCR) vid Mittuniversitetet och Försvarshögskolan (FHS).
I am a researcher and co-programme leader for "Societal Resilience" financed by The Swedish Civil Contingency Agency (MSB). The programme studies how society can handle the impacts challenges and remain resilient. Resilient here meaning an ability to retain steering and control and society's vital functions. Empirically the programme focuses on climate adaptation, reception of refugees and radicalization.
I am also Senior Research Fellow and board member of the Centre for Natural Hazards and Disaster Science (CNDS) at Uppsala University. CNDS is a national platform for research on the nexus between socio-technical vulnerability and extreme events of natural origins, e.g. storms, floods, landslides, droughts, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. At the Centre a multitude of traditional research disciplines to study the complexities of a problematic that spans physical phenomenae and their interaction with society. A fundamental pillar of CNDS is the research school where PhD students are engaged in interdisciplinary course work, collaborative projects, and active dialogue with practitioner communities.