To Örebro University

Uppdraget att leda utbildning i akademin är centralt för högre utbildningskvalitet och utveckling, men får ofta begränsad uppmärksamhet. Den här rapporten bygger på en nationell kartläggning genomförd 2023–2024 inom Universitets- och högskolerådets högskolepedagogiska lyft. Målet har varit att förstå hur detta ledarskap formas, praktiseras och upplevs vid svenska lärosäten, och att bidra med kunskap som kan stärka dess strategiska och pedagogiska villkor.

Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och omfattar 93 fokusgruppsintervjuer med 335 deltagare från 36 lärosäten samt en inledande och en uppföljande enkät. Intervjuerna genomfördes i rollhomogena grupper på olika ledningsnivåer, från rektorer till programansvariga.

Vad som träder fram är bilden av ett ledarskap som inte bara kräver struktur och styrning, utan även omdöme, pedagogisk förståelse, vetenskaplig förankring och förmåga att skapa mening i komplexa sammanhang. Ledare beskriver hur de verkar i ett landskap där kollegialitet och linjestyrning möts och där uppdraget handlar mindre om att peka ut vägen än om att möjliggöra rörelse. Ledarskapet beskrivs som ett ansvar som bärs i samspel med andra snarare än utövas hierarkiskt.

Samtidigt visar studien att förutsättningarna ofta brister. Många ledare verkar med oklara mandat, otydliga uppdrag och begränsad tillgång till stöd. Karriärvägar saknas och kompetensutvecklingen tenderar att handla mer om administration än om pedagogisk och strategisk ledning. Ansvar för utbildningens kvalitet förväntas tas, men erkänns sällan som akademiskt meriterande.

Mot denna bakgrund lyfter rapporten fram behovet av ett akademiskt förhållningssätt till ledarskap. Såväl tidigare forskning som studiens resultat visar att ledarskap av utbildning i akademin innebär att ta ansvar för ett kunskapsområde som vilar på vetenskaplig kompetens: att tänka kritiskt, formulera relevanta frågor, pröva idéer och skapa förutsättningar för kollegialt lärande och utveckling. Det handlar också om att värna akademiska värden som integritet, nyfikenhet, eftertanke och bildning.

Flera ledare vittnar om att det som verkligen gör skillnad inte är fler riktlinjer, utan levande samtal, gemensam tolkning och förankring i den akademiska kulturen. Därför behöver ledarskap av utbildning i akademin erkännas och stödjas som en kollektiv kunskapspraktik: det är inte ett sidouppdrag, utan en del av den akademiska kärnan.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of migration processes to changes in the world-system. We highlight the significanceof these processes and their impact through a comparative historical perspective. By using an approach based on an integrated comparison, two cases are compared: the rise of the early modern Dutch state to hegemony and the corresponding rise to hegemony bythe United States in the twentiethcentury. In presenting secondary sources on the two cases, we argue that neither expansion had been possible without a significant inflow of labor and skills carried by migrants. There seems to be a strong correlation between migration and changes in the world-system in general and the rise to hegemonic status in particular. By analyzing long-term processes like migration and its role in energizing and stimulating changes in the world-system, we argue, in line with the new economics of migration, that previous economic explanations to the rise of hegemony can be qualified. We also argue that the use of integrated comparison in the way we tentatively do in this paper can be fruitful in better understanding historical processes and their impact on power relations and economic relations in the world-system.

Forced migration has reached unprecedented levels worldwide. Involuntarily migration creates stressors for families that require systematic action at a societal level. Our premise is that parenting programmes have an untapped potential to enhance psychosocial health among parents and children. The aim of this study, therefore, was to review existing studies to evaluate the efficacy of preventive parenting programmes for parents who were refugees, asylum seekers or internally displaced. We included 20 publications from 3 electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid PsycINFO and Web of Science Core Collection): 16 on parenting interventions (13 original trials, N = 1191) and 4 on combined interventions (parents and youth, N = 1284). We compared a range of outcomes including child internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as well as parental competence (positive/negative parenting), self-efficacy, well-being and mental health/psychological distress. Between-group analyses indicated less externalizing behaviour (Hedge's g = 0.43, p < 0.05, k = 2) at post measurement for parents participating in the interventions, compared with those in the control conditions, as well as enhanced positive parenting strategies (g = 0.89, p < .01, k = 2), self-efficacy (g = 1.94, p < .001, k = 2) and parental psychological distress (g = 0.67, p < .05, k = 4). Within-group analyses of pre and post measurements supported that parents participating in the interventions reported improvements over time in all primary outcomes: parent-rated child internalizing and externalizing behaviours, negative and positive parenting, self-efficacy and the secondary outcome psychological distress. Analyses of combined studies suggested a small increase in positive parenting strategies (g = 0.17, p < .05, k = 2). Although our sample of reviewed studies was relatively small, and the study outcomes varied considerably, the results indicate that parenting programmes might be an underutilized resource to promote health among forcibly displaced families.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO (CRD42022330521).

I detta kapitel sammanfattas antologins samlade bidrag och placerar resultaten från forskningsprojektet om regional kollektivtrafik i ett bredare teoretiskt och policyrelevant sammanhang. Utgångspunkten är att införandet av kollektivtrafiklagen innebar en omfattande institutionell reform där ansvar och planeringsmandat för kollektivtrafiken omskalades från kommunal till regional nivå, genom etableringen av regionala kollektivtrafikmyndigheter (RKM). Kapitlet visar att reformen bör förstås i relation till bredare processer av regionalisering, europeisering och ökade krav på samordning kring hållbar utveckling. Med stöd i perspektiven omskalning och samverkan analyseras hur kollektivtrafikens styrning har förändrats i praktiken. Antologin visar att den regionala nivån stärkts strategiskt, särskilt i frågor kopplade till tillväxt, regionförstoring och klimatmål, medan genomförandet fortsatt är starkt beroende av kommunala insatser, inte minst inom fysisk planering, välfärdstjänster och tillgänglighet. Detta har skapat ett icke-hierarkiskt styrningslandskap i flera nivåer där samverkan framstår som en nödvändighet snarare än ett val, men också som en källa till fragmentering, otydligt ansvar och resurskrävande processer.

Vidare identifieras en tydlig spänning mellan tillväxtpolitiska och välfärdspolitiska logiker i kollektivtrafikens planering. Regionförstoringsstrategier prioriteras ofta, medan social hållbarhet, landsbygdens villkor och rättvis tillgång till mobilitet i högre grad hanteras lokalt och sällan operationaliseras i regionala mål. Avslutningsvis diskuteras statistikens och indikatorernas roll i styrningen, där bristande datakvalitet och förenklade mätetal riskerar att osynliggöra kollektivtrafikens komplexa samhällsuppdrag. Kapitlet avslutas med policyrekommendationer som betonar behovet av bättre samordning, tydligare ansvarsför-delning och stärkt analytisk kapacitet snarare än nya organisatoriska reformer.

Detta kapitel reflekterar över samverkan mellan forskning och praktik genom erfarenheter från arbetet med projektets referensgrupp. Samverkan har varit ett genomgående tema i antologin, både som empiriskt studieobjekt i relation till regional kollektivtrafik och som organisatorisk princip för forskningsprojektet genom att arbeta med en referensgrupp jämte forskningen. Kapitlet tar sin utgångspunkt i en iakttagelse av att referensgrupper är vanliga i samhällsorienterad forskning, men att det saknas mer utvecklade metodologiska resonemang kring deras funktion, värde och organisering. Med inspiration från teorier om transdisciplinär kunskapsproduktion diskuteras referensgruppen som en arena där forskningens analytiska och teoretiska perspektiv möter praktikens erfarenhetsbaserade kunskap. Kapitlet visar hur dialogen mellan forskare och praktiker bidragit till att utveckla systemkunskap, målkunskap och transformationskunskap i projektet, samtidigt som forskningens självständighet och ansvar enligt god forskningssed upprätthållits. Referensgruppen har fungerat som bollplank i frågor som rört forskningsdesign, val av fall, tolkning av resultat samt strategier för spridning och nyttiggörande av resultat.

Genom att sammanfatta referensgruppsdeltagarnas egna reflektioner synliggör kapitlet hur deltagandet bidragit till kompetensutveckling, nya nätverk och fördjupade kunskaper. Samtidigt pekas organisatoriska faktorer ut som avgörande för referensgruppens värdeskapande, såsom tydlig struktur, regelbundenhet, förberedande material och respekt för deltagarnas tid. Kapitlets slutsats är att referensgruppsarbete med fördel kan förstås som en transdisciplinär kunskapsprocess, där formerna för samverkan är avgörande för forskningens relevans och samhälleliga genomslag. Därmed knyter kapitlet samman antologins tematik kring styrning, samverkan och kunskap och pekar fram mot behovet av mer reflekterade och systematiserade former för samproduktion av kunskap i forskning om komplexa samhällsutmaningar.

Det här kapitlet fokuserar på den snabba ökningen av A-traktorer i Sverige och problematiserar föreställningen om att denna utveckling är en konsekvens av försämrad kollektivtrafik. Genom en kombination av litteraturöversikt, statistisk analys och intervjuer med kommunala planerare undersöks hur A-traktorer relaterar till kollektivtrafikens planering, landsbygdens mobilitetsvillkor och ungas vardagliga förflyttningar. Kapitlet visar att A-traktorer i huvudsak är ett landsbygdsfenomen, både som mobilitetslösning och som kulturellt uttryck. Den statistiska analysen visar att ökningen av A-traktorer är starkt kopplad till kommuntyp och geografiska förutsättningar snarare än till förändringar i kollektivtrafikens utbud. Sambandet mellan minskad kollektivtrafik och ökat antal A-traktorer är genomgående svagt, vilket utmanar förenklade förklaringar som ofta förekommer i den offentliga debatten.

Intervjuer ger en splittrad bild av sambandet mellan kollektivtrafik och A-traktorer. Medan vissa ser en indirekt koppling i specifika lokala sammanhang, betonar många att ökningen snarare drivs av faktorer som ungdomskultur, bilnormer, socioekonomiska förutsättningar och förändrade regelverk. A-traktorn framstår därmed inte enbart som ett substitut till kollektivtrafik, utan som ett socialt och identitetsskapande mobilitetsmedel som erbjuder frihet, flexibilitet och tillhörighet – dimensioner som kollektivtrafiken svårligen kan konkurrera med. Kapitlets övergripande slutsats är att A-traktorernas ökade utbredning bör förstås som ett uttryck för bredare strukturella skillnader mellan stad och land och för ungas mobilitetsvillkor i glesa geografier. För planering och policy innebär detta att A-traktorer behöver ses som en integrerad del av det rurala mobilitetssystemet, snarare än som ett marginellt fenomen eller en direkt följd av kollektivtrafikens utveckling.

I det här kapitlet diskuteras hur kollektivtrafiken på landsbygden i Sverige står inför en komplex utmaning: att kombinera transporteffektivitet och marknadsorienterade perspektiv med frågor kopplade till transporträttvisa, geografisk tillgänglighet och lokal utveckling. Som påtalats i tidigare kapitel var en av målsättningarna med den nya kollektivtrafiklagen att skapa en tydligare struktur för kollektivtrafikens planering och ansvar (se kapitel 2), men samtidigt har omskalningen av kollektivtrafikplaneringen skapat sprickor i planeringssystemet mellan kollektivtrafik och mobilitetsplanering i vidare bemärkelse. Dessa sprickor blir som mest påtagliga i landsbygdskommuner, där kommunala ansvar kopplade till lokal utveckling och välfärd stundtals hamnar i direkt kollisionskurs med RKM:s strävan efter transporteffektivitet och styrning mot starka stråk. Men i kapitlet visar vi även hur dessa utmaningar också skapar möjligheter att pröva nya innovativa lösningar för stärkt mobiliteten i glesa områden samt hur bil och kollektivtrafik integreras för att hitta nya lösningar för landsbygden. En övergripande slutsats är att framtidens landsbygdstrafik behöver ses som en del av välfärden snarare än enbart en transporttjänst, och att långsiktig samverkan mellan kommuner, regioner och stat är avgörande för att hela landet ska kunna leva.

Residential segregation contributes to unequal living conditions and opportunities for youths. Research in this field often focuses on the effects in marginalized areas and therefore tends to overlook socioeconomically advantaged groups, as well as how people’s everyday mobility shapes these processes. This dissertation examines the relationship between youth mobility and segregation processes by exploring how young people’s positions in social and physical space are expressed through their everyday mobility in a segregated city.

The theoretical framework deepens the understanding of place, segregation, and mobility, where Bourdieu’s theory of how capital and habitus influence an individual’s position in social space is complemented by Lefebvre’s ideas about physical space. The concept of embodied mobility is also developed, capturing the individual’s perception of themselves as a mobile or immobile subject.

The sample consists of youths (age 15–16) from areas with different socioeconomic classifications. Three data collection methods were used: mental maps (99 participants), interactive maps (96), and interviews (10), which were analysed using different content analysis methods.

The results show that areas that are socioeconomically similar to one’s own are most often included, while non-similar areas in this regard are excluded in the youths’ mental maps. The interactive maps and interviews show that the extent and patterns of mobility vary depending on the residential area and shape young people’s perceptions of themselves as mobile subjects. These differences are reinforced by gender and first language, including in perceptions of (un)safe places. Considering the study’s theoretical framework, segregation appears to operate as a social process in which differences in social space are translated into mobility in physical space. Boundary crossings, i.e. places where the mobility overlaps, have potential to challenge inequalities— something social work can contribute to through its responsibility for urban planning.

Detta kapitel problematiserar statistikens och nyckeltalens (KPI:ers) roll i styrningen av svensk kollektivtrafik och visar hur bristfälliga och svårjämförbara data skapar betydande kunskaps- och styrningsutmaningar. Med utgångspunkt i intervjuer med företrädare för 18 regionala kollektivtrafikmyndigheter (RKM) samt en kritisk genomgång av vanligt förekommande indikatorer analyserar kapitlet hur mätbarhet både möjliggör och begränsar förståelsen av kollektivtrafikens utveckling. Kapitlet visar att variationer i den nationella statistiken i första hand bör förstås som ett systemproblem snarare än som uttryck för faktiska skillnader i trafikens omfattning eller kvalitet. Skillnader i organisatoriska lösningar, skatteväxling, ansvarsfördelning och tolkning av nationella anvisningar innebär att likartade indikatorer kan fyllas med olika innehåll i olika regioner. Följden blir att jämförelser mellan län och över tid ofta saknar metodologisk robusthet, trots att just sådana jämförelser ligger till grund för politisk uppföljning, benchmarking och strategiska beslut.

Genom en fördjupad diskussion av sju vanligt använda KPI:er visar kapitlet hur komplexa mobilitetssystem reduceras till förenklade mått som tenderar att spegla geografi, demografi och organisatoriska val snarare än faktisk tillgänglighet, rättvisa eller samhällsnytta. Samtidigt framhålls att KPI:er inte är neutrala tekniska verktyg, utan uttryck för styrningslogiker, politiska prioriteringar och institutionella praktiker. Kapitlets sammantagna slutsats är att kollektivtrafikens styrning kräver ett mer robust, transparent och reflexivt indikatorsystem. Detta förutsätter både ökad nationell standardisering och en bredare förståelse av statistikens begränsningar, där kvantitativa mått kompletteras med kvalitativ och kontextuell kunskap för att bättre fånga kollektivtrafikens roll som samhällsbärande infrastruktur.

Detta kapitel beskriver framväxten, organiseringen och strategiska överväganden för regionala kollektivtrafikmyndigheter (RKM) efter implementeringen av Kollektivtrafiklagen (SFS 2010:1065). Genom en kombination av dokumentstudier, intervjuer och jämförelser mellan 17 län belyser kapitlet hur lagstiftningens flexibilitet möjliggjort divergerande organisatoriska lösningar. Kapitlet visar att Kollektivtrafiklagen har resulterat i tre huvudsakliga organisationsmodeller: regionaliserade myndigheter, kommunalförbund samt hybridorganisering. Dessa modeller speglar hur inrättandet av RKM har påverkats av den successiva processen för regionbildningen i Sverige och även avstrukturella skillnader mellan täta och glesa geografier. Organiseringen av RKM diskuteras utifrån hur detta innebär en ”omskalning” av planeringsmandat men utan att relationen mellan den regionala nivån för RKM och kommunerna är formellt hierarkiskt.

Kapitlets översikt över hur RKM:er resonerar kring strategiska överväganden omfattar tre teman. Det första handlar om hållbar utveckling, för vilket RKM tolkar sitt uppdrag utifrån ett flerdimensionellt hållbarhetsbegrepp, där ekologiska, sociala och ekonomiska målsättningar är ömsesidigt beroende och ibland kan stå i konflikt. Det andra temat handlar om kollektivtrafikens relation till transportsystemet i stort och som gör att ”hela-resan”-principen blir central. RKM betraktar kollektivtrafik som både komplement och konkurrent till andra transportslag. Det tredje temat för strategiska överväganden handlar om mellanregional samverkan och strategisk styrkapacitet. Kapitlet visar dock att mellanregional samverkan präglas av asymmetrier: mindre regioner är ofta mer beroende av samverkan än större stadsregioner, vilket påverkar maktbalansen och möjligheterna till gemensam styrning.

Det här kapitlet introducerar en antologi baserad på ett forskningsprojekt om styrning och planering för allmän kollektivtrafik i Sverige efter införandet av den nya kollektivtrafiklagen, implementerad från 2012. Lagen innebar att 21 regionala kollektivtrafikmyndigheter (RKM) bildades och att ansvar för planering av den allmänna kollektivtrafiken flyttades från kommuner till regioner. Eftersom planering för allmän kollektivtrafik genom RKM är beroende av kommunernas planering inom sina ansvar för fysisk planering, skolskjuts och färdtjänst behöver RKM och kommuner samverka. Begreppet för omskalning och processer kring samverkan är centrala utgångspunkter för forskningen inom projektet. Omskalning, handlar om hur ansvar förflyttas mellan planeringsnivåer, och samverkan uppstår eftersom aktörer är beroende av varandra för att organisera för kollektivtrafik. RKM och kommuner är ömsesidigt beroende av varandra, framför allt genom:

• Relation mellan allmän och särskild kollektivtrafik där samordning kan bidra till hållbarhet utifrån dess olika dimensioner

• Relationer mellan kommunerna fysiska planering och RKM:ernas planering för kollektivtrafik.

Antologin bygger på tre huvudmaterial: intervjuer med 18 RKM, strukturerade intervjuer med 49 kommunala planerare samt analyser av tre generationer regionala trafikförsörjningsprogram (2012–2024). Projektet studerar planering av kollektivtrafik i 18 landets 21 län; storstadslänen Stockholm, Västra Götaland och Skåne ingår inte.

Antologins syfte är att samla och förklara forskningsprojektets resultat på svenska och riktar sig till praktiker och studenter med intresse i kollektivtrafik och samhällsplanering. Den består av tio kapitel som kan läsas både separat och som en helhet.

Hur påverkades kollektivtrafiken i Sverige när de regionala kollektivtrafikmyndigheterna (RKM) bildades? Denna övergripande fråga är utgångspunkten för denna antologi, som diskuterar effekterna av den nyakollektivtrafiklagen som trädde i kraft 2012. Antologin tar avstamp iett flerårigt forskningsprojekt och visar hur reformen har påverkat ansvarsfördelning, styrning och samverkan mellan regioner, kommuneroch statliga aktörer.

Antologin visar att den regionala nivån har fått en tydligare strategiskroll, särskilt i kopplingen mellan kollektivtrafik, regionförstoring, arbetsmarknad och klimatmål. Samtidigt är genomförandet fortsatt beroende av kommunernas planering och genomförande av sitt välfärdsuppdrag. Resultatet är ett flernivåsystem där ingen aktör ensam styrutvecklingen och där samverkan är en praktisk nödvändighet.

Flera kapitel lyfter fram spänningen mellan tillväxtmål och social hållbarhet, mellan starka pendlingsstråk och landsbygdens behov, samtmellan strategiska ambitioner och ekonomiska realiteter. Antologindiskuterar också hur statistik och indikatorer formar synen på kollektivtrafikens resultat, och vilka utmaningar som finns i dagens uppföljningssystem.

Sammantaget ger boken en samlad bild av de möjligheter och utmaningar som präglar regional kollektivtrafik i dag. Den riktar sig tillpraktiker och beslutsfattare som vill förstå hur organisering, samverkanoch lokala förutsättningar påverkar kollektivtrafikens utveckling i ett föränderligt styrningslandskap.

The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Third Edition (ECERS-3), is widely used to assess preschool quality. However, concerns remain about its scoring structure, usage in different cultural contexts, and associations with structural quality indicators. This study explored the factor structure of the ECERS-3 and its relationship with teacher education, child-to-adult ratio, group size, and preschool size in 71 Swedish municipal preschools. Confirmatory factor analysis showed poor fit for both the single-factor modeland the original six-subscale structure. Exploratory factor analysis identified a better-fitting four-factor structure: Learning & Play Environment, Interactions & Order, Gross Motor, and Care & Hygiene. We further investigated whether adopting this revised factor structure influenced relationships between ECERS-3 dimensions and structural quality indicators. Analyses of associations with structural quality indicators showed that smaller group sizes were linked to higher quality in Gross Motor activities. Among preschools with group sizes below 15 children, smaller groups were also associated with higher quality in Learning & Play Environment, Care & Hygiene, and overall ECERS-3 scores. Pedagogical and interactional dimensions showed limited or inconsistent relationships with structural variables. Future research should carefully consider how ECERS-3 scores are analyzed and be mindful of potential threshold effects when exploring associations with structural quality.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explore the role of algorithms in research focusing on automated decision-making of citizen services. 

Design/methodology/approach: A scoping review of literature published between 2016 and 2025 was conducted. Studies were analyzed to identify how automated decision-making is conceptualized, the terminology used, the roles algorithms are assigned and the contexts in which they operate. 

Findings: The review reveals significant conceptual ambiguity in research on automated decision-making. Furthermore, automated decision-making systems are shown to operate within broader socio-technical networks encompassing people, organizational structures, technologies and formal rules. Current research offers fragmented understandings of automated decision-making, focusing largely on administrative efficiency rather than citizen experiences. 

Practical implications: The findings point to an urgent need for policy frameworks, standardized guidelines and training that embed public values such as fairness, transparency and accountability. Policies should promote digital literacy and citizen empowerment to ensure engagement with automated decision-making and algorithmic systems in citizen services and public sector governance. 

Originality/value: This study contributes to a nuanced understanding of the complexity of automated decision-making, highlighting the context and institutional logic. Algorithms were found to play seven different roles supporting humans in automated decision-making processes. This, together with different degrees of automation in the decision-making process, challenges a more dualistic view of automated decision-making. 

Children with disabilities in conflict settings face compounded risks of exclusion, trauma, and disrupted education. In the ongoing war in Ukraine, families from de-occupied territories confront displacement, loss of services, and the burden of invisible caregiving labour. This research examines the perspective of parents of children with disabilities on how to cope with the situation. Their specific needs are highlighted and serve as a basis for developing support measures. The research is theoretically grounded in group socialisation theory, trauma-informed psychology, and the concept of solastalgia. Methodologically, 35 semi-structured parent interviews were thematically analysed. Four themes emerged: loss of safety and the search for control, digital technologies as stabilising anchors, disrupted peer interaction, and the impact of parental trauma. Parents described extensive invisible labour to support children’s fragile attempts at friendship, emotional regulation, and belonging. They perceive inclusive schools as both protective and precarious. The study concluded that resilience depends on dual-focus interventions that combine inclusive peer environments for children with psychosocial support for caregivers. 

Introduction: Prior research suggests that insufficient sleep can increase aggressive behaviour in adolescents. However, few studies have employed controlled designs, but none have incorporated objective measures of aggression. Moreover, the potential moderating role of sleep in the relationship between trait aggression and aggressive behaviour remains unexplored. This study addressed these gaps by examining whether sleep duration and quality moderate the association between trait aggression and objectively measured aggressive behaviour in adolescents. We hypothesised that adolescents higher in trait aggression would be more sensitive to poor sleep.

Method: Thirty-four adolescent female participants spent one night in the Flinders University Sleep and Psychology Lab. Sleep duration was assessed using a consumer-grade sleep-tracking wearable, and sleep quality was self-reported. The following morning, participants underwent a noxious aggression provocation paradigm, after which behavioural aggression was assessed using a modified Hot Sauce Paradigm, measured via the weight of allocated wasabi paste. Trait aggression was measured using the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ).

Results: Sleep duration significantly moderated the relationship between trait aggression and aggressive behaviour, with shorter sleep predicting greater aggression among participants higher in trait aggression (R2change = 0.11, p = 0.03). No such moderating effect was observed for self-reported sleep quality.

Discussion: These findings suggest that adolescents high in trait aggression may be particularly susceptible to the behavioural consequences of shorter sleep. Ensuring adequate sleep could, therefore, be especially important for reducing aggression in this subgroup. This study extends prior research by demonstrating the moderating role of objectively measured sleep duration on aggression using a controlled design and a behavioural outcome measure, offering new insights for both theoretical models of aggression and the development of targeted, sleep-based interventions for at-risk youth.

Rapporten undersöker hur skolors samarbete med vårdnadshavare kan utvecklas för att skapa bättre förutsättningar för elevers trygghet, lärande och måluppfyllelse. Utgångspunkten är skolans uppdrag enligt Lgr22, där skola och hem delar ett gemensamt ansvar för barnens utbildning, samt forskning som visar att vårdnadshavares engagemang har stor betydelse för elevers skolframgång. Samtidigt pekar tidigare studier på att relationen mellan skola och hem ofta präglas av misstro, bristperspektiv och ojämlika maktförhållanden.

Studien bygger på ett praktiknära forskningsprojekt (ULF) vid två skolor i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden och fokuserar på två samverkansmodeller: "Familjestödjare" och "NÄT – nätverk för vårdnadshavare, skola och myndigheter". Syftet är att analysera hur dessa modeller används, vilka effekter de har och hur de kan vidareutvecklas. Datamaterialet består av enkäter, intervjuer, gruppsamtal och reflektionsprotokoll från lärare, skolledare och vårdnadshavare.

Resultaten visar att modellerna bidrar till att bygga tillitsfulla relationer mellan skola och vårdnadshavare genom dialog, icke-dömande bemötande och ett tydligt föräldra-perspektiv. Rapporten gör en analytisk distinktion mellan "evidensbaserad tillit", som grundas i föräldrars prestationer och uppfyllda förväntningar, och "existentiell tillit", som utgår från en grundläggande tilltro till föräldrar som kompetenta, engagerade individer. Det är framför allt den senare som visat sig främja samverkan, föräldraengagemang och elevers närvaro och välbefinnande.

Modellerna möjliggör även kompletterande stödinsatser – pedagogiska, föräldraskaps-relaterade och personliga – som lärare ofta saknar tid eller mandat att genomföra. Samtidigt identifieras spänningar kopplade till roller, ansvar och professionella gränser. Rapporten avslutas med förslag på vidareutveckling, bland annat behovet av gemensamma skolnormer, ett gemensamt språk för samverkan samt stärkt handledning och samspel mellan lärare, familjestödjare och vårdnadshavare.

The concept of sustainable journalism can be used to analyse many different aspects of environment and society, while the downside is that it becomes too much of a floating signifier, in need of some terminological precision. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to theoretically elaborate sustainable journalism as a particular means of framing society, with a clear connection to sustainability literature. We argue that such frames could be operationalised based on a few core principles of sustainable development thinking, found in texts such as Brundtland’s report, Our Common Future: Report of the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development, for the United Nations. Three prominent frames of sustainable journalism – namely the three-pillar, time reflexive, and cross-spatial frames – are empirically exemplified through their hybrid combination of generic and issue-specific aspects of sustainability. By means of framing theory, media theory, and journalism studies, our intention is to present them as tools for conducting empirical analyses of the ways media deploy a sustainability outlook in their reporting.

Purpose: The purpose of this in-depth interview study was to explore how parents of children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) experienced genetic testing and whether they experienced risks and benefits.

Background: Most children with SNHL have a genetic etiology, which can be identified through genetic sequencing. A genetic test does not influence treatment, and whether patients and parents perceived genetic tests as valuable is unclear.

Methods: In this study, 10 parents of children with SNHL who underwent genetic testing were interviewed, and the content was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Three global themes were identified. In the first theme, (1) Limited knowledge creates uncertainty, parents described uncertainty related to the information provided, the test result itself and child-related factors. The second theme, (2) Genetic knowledge is considered important for the family and the future, explored the importance of knowledge. Parents wanted an explanation to make the future predictable, and the test had practical implications. In the last category, (3) Knowledge adds complexity and can be challenging, ethical considerations and risks associated with knowledge were highlighted.

Conclusion: The main conclusion was that parents experienced that genetic testing provided valuable personal information and had practical implications. However, a genetic diagnosis can cause concern and may affect family planning.

The Nordic countries are often portrayed as frontrunners in sustainable development, combining high environmental ambitions with strong welfare systems and relatively high levels of public transport use. Yet transport remains a persistent and complex challenge. Emissions from the transport sector continue to be substantial, car dependency is deeply embedded in everyday mobility practices, and questions of accessibility, affordability and social justice have gained increasing attention. Addressing these challenges requires not only technological innovation and behavioral change, but also institutional arrangements capable of coordinating transport and land-use planning across scales and sectors.

In this context, collaborative governance has become a central feature of contemporary transport planning. In particular, the rescaling of planning responsibilities from local to regional levels has intensified the need for coordination between actors operating within different territorial and institutional logics. This essay reflects on the Swedish case of rescaled public transport planning and situates it within broader Nordic and European debates on soft and hard governance, multilevel planning and sustainable mobility transitions. It argues that rescaling has contributed to the emergence of penumbral planning spaces: hybrid governance arrangements that are neither fully formalized nor entirely informal but instead occupy an ambiguous middle ground between hard and soft spaces.

The aim of this thesis is to optimise the clinical management and prognostic evaluation of penile cancer (PeCa) by investigating its long-term consequences and treatment-related morbidity, as well as by evaluating current surgical strategies and novel biomarker-based approaches for accurate lymph node staging.

In Paper I, nationwide register data demonstrated that patients with PeCa face a two- to threefold increased risk of developing second HPV-associated malignancies in the oral cavity, oropharynx, and anal canal, highlighting the need for improved surveillance and preventive measures. In Paper II, population-based analyses demonstrated that morbidity following lymph node dissection remains substantial overtime, with significantly elevated risks of infectious complications persisting for more than five years and thromboembolic events for up to three years postoperatively, underscoring the importance of long-term complication awareness. In Paper III, an evaluation of a panel of 14 soluble immune checkpoint proteins (sICs) for predicting lymphnode metastases (LNM) revealed limited clinical utility due to low sensitivity and modest accuracy. However, four inhibitory sICs (IDO,TIM-3, CD80, and CTLA-4) were significantly elevated in patients with PeCa compared to cancer-free controls, suggesting tumour-induced systemic immunosuppression. In Paper IV, dynamic sentinel node biopsy (DSNB) was shown to effectively detect LNM while maintaining favourable morbidity, although a false-negative rate of 14.5% was observed during a median follow-up of 34 months. Complications, predominantly mild to moderate, occurred in 14.8% of groins and were directly associated with higher lymph node yields, emphasizing the critical importance of precise and targeted excision of true sentinel nodes.

Wound cleansing is widely regarded as a foundational component of chronic wound management; however, the empirical evidence supporting commonly recommended cleansing techniques remains limited. Much of the guidance informing current practice is derived from acute wound models, laboratory studies, and expert consensus rather than from comparative studies conducted in chronic wound populations.

The aim of this thesis was to examine the evidence base for wound cleansing practices in chronic wounds and to investigate nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice related to wound cleansing.

The thesis comprises four studies. Study I systematically reviewed evidence comparing irrigation and swabbing techniques in chronic wounds. Study II developed and psychometrically evaluated a questionnaire measuring nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to wound cleansing. Study III applied the instrument in an international cross-sectional survey. Study IV conducted confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the internal structure of the attitudes subscale.

The review identified extremely limited chronic wound-specific evidence for commonly recommended cleansing techniques. The developed instrument demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. Survey findings showed variation in clinician knowledge and practice, with higher knowledge associated with formal wound care education. Confirmatory analysis supported the multidimensional structure of nurses’ attitudes.

These findings highlight the need for stronger empirical evidence and structured education to support evidence-informed cleansing practices.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by inattention and hyperactivity that impair everyday functioning. While pharmacotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment, clinical guidelines recommend a multimodal approach. However, evidence for physical exercise as an adjunctive treatment option remains scarce. Consequently, there is a large unmet need for the development and evaluation of non-pharmacological treatment options. START is a novel intervention for adults with ADHD that consists of a structured physical exercise programme. The overall aim of this thesis is to evaluate the START intervention as a treatment for adults with ADHD using an interdisciplinary approach. By integrating quantitative assessments of feasibility and clinical outcomes with qualitative analyses of lived experience, the thesis aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the intervention’s feasibility, relevance and impact. The thesis is based on four papers. Paper I is a randomised pilot study evaluating the feasibility and tolerability of the START intervention; it shows that the intervention was feasible and indicated beneficial trends. Papers II and III are based on a randomised controlled trial of 63 participants. Paper II investigates the effects of the START intervention on core ADHD symptoms, sleep problems and quality of life; its results demonstrate moderate to large effects on all assessed outcomes. Paper III evaluates the effect of START on body awareness and movement quality; the findings show that body awareness was improved by the intervention. Paper IV is a qualitative study exploring participant experiences with the START intervention; its findings reveal multifaceted meanings of exercise and an increased sense of agency through participation. In conclusion, the findings of this thesis suggest that physical exercise in a health care context is a potent treatment option for adults with ADHD.

Denna rapport redovisar resultat från följeforskningen av Rädda Barnens projekt Barn i fokus (2022–2025), som genomförts i samverkan med nio kommuner runt om i Sverige. Målen i Barn i fokus har varit att stärka nyanlända barns välbefinnande, delaktighet och etablering genom 1) ökad lokal samverkan och systematik, 2) tillgång till meningsfull fritid samt 3) kompletterande föräldrastöd.Följeforskningens syfte har varit att fördjupa kunskapen om hur samverkan mellan civilsamhälle och kommun kan bidra till en mer hållbar och inkluderande integration av nyanlända barn och deras familjer.

I rapporten analyseras vilka resultat och mervärden som skapas genom samverkan, vilka organisatoriska och strukturella förutsättningar som påverkar dess genomförande, samt hur barnrättsperspektivet förstås och omsätts i praktiken i samverkansarbetet.Genom en interaktiv forskningsansats baserad på intervjuer, fallstudier, och gemensamma analysseminarier med projektets aktörer, belyser följeforskningen både samverkanseffekter och de faktorer som möjliggör eller försvårar att samverkan etableras som en långsiktig och hållbar process.

Mervärdet med samverkan

Resultaten visar att samverkan mellan kommunerna och Rädda Barnen skapar flera former av mervärden: 

• Funktionellt mervärde, genom mer ändamålsenliga, samordnade och flexibla insatser som når målgruppen snabbare och mer träffsäkert.
• Altruistiskt mervärde, där Rädda Barnens värdegrund och långsiktiga engagemang bidrar till stärkta värderingar såsom demokrati och barnrättigheter och ger ökad legitimitet och gemensam riktning i arbetet.
• Emotionellt mervärde, genom relationellt arbete som stärker tillit, trygghet och barns och föräldrars upplevelse av att bli sedda och bekräftade.
• Socialt mervärde, i form av stärkt delaktighet, nya nätverk och sammanhållning i lokalsamhället.

De mervärden som skapas bygger på att civilsamhällesorganisationer som Rädda Barnen kan verka i rollen som verksamhetsförbättrare, värdebärare, tillitsskapare och samhällsbyggare, och därigenom komplettera kommunens uppdrag och strukturer. Samtidigt visar resultaten att mervärdena inte är givna, de formas genom ett komplext samspel mellan aktörer med olika logiker, mandat och arbetssätt. Resultaten visar att det är olikheterna mellan aktörerna, det som av deltagarna i projektet beskrivits som mötet mellan ”en boll och en fyrkant”, som skapar förutsättningar för mervärde. Civilsamhällets flexibilitet, relationsskapande arbetssätt och värdegrund kompletterar kommunernas ansvar för likvärdighet, rättssäkerhet, stabilitet och långsiktiga strukturer. Kommunerna bidrar med egna, centrala mervärden som inte kan ersättas av civilsamhället, utan som först i kombination med civilsamhällets särdrag ger full effekt. Denna ömsesidiga komplettering blir ett tydligt incitament för att fortsätta utveckla samverkan eftersom ingen av aktörerna ensam kan uppnå de resultat som tillsammans blir möjliga.

Förutsättningar och utmaningar för en hållbar samverkan

Studien visar att förändringar i migrations- och integrationspolitiken, såsom minskat mottagande, förändrad politik och ökade välfärdsnedskärningar, skapar en mer komplex kontext för lokalt arbete. I detta läge blir civilsamhällets roll både viktigare och mer sårbar, samtidigt som behovet av långsiktigt förankrade samverkansstrukturer ökar. Kontexten är viktig för att förstå förutsättningarna i kommunerna. Utöver den nationella kontexten skiljer sig förutsättningarna åt i kommunerna. Ett tydligt resultat är att samverkansmottaglighet och samverkanskapacitet varierar mellan kommunerna. Detta påverkar vilka mervärden som kan realiseras i praktiken vilket är viktigt att beakta. I detta sammanhang visar forskningen vikten av personer som har förtroende i båda systemen och kan översätta perspektiv, skapa relationer och knyta samman kommunens strukturer med civilsamhällets relationsbaserade arbete. Dessa individer som benämns gränsgångare, fungerade ofta som katalysatorer för både tillit och handlingskraft, men deras centrala roll visar också hur sårbar samverkan blir när den vilar mycket på personer snarare än strukturer. En utmaning som tycks genomgående för både kommuner och Rädda Barnen är projektformen och kortsiktiga finansieringsstrukturer liksom organisatoriska stuprör, personalomsättning och begränsad tid för koordinering. Det finns även flera återkommande dilemman som uppkommer i den praktiska samverkansprocessen, exempelvis mellan likvärdighet och behovsanpassning i relation till målgruppen eller mellan att skapa nytt och bygga vidare på befintliga strukturer i utvecklingsarbetet. Dessa spänningar är inte problem som kan lösas, utan viktiga utgångspunkter för lärande som uppstår när olika logiker, ansvar och arbetssätt möts. När dilemman hanteras gemensamt blir de en drivkraft för utveckling och mer hållbar samverkan.

Barnrättsperspektivet

Resultaten visar att barnrättsperspektivet utgör ett viktigt utvecklingsområde i det lokala mottagandet av nyanlända barn. Samverkan med Rädda Barnen har bidragit till ökad medvetenhet, kompetens och ett starkare fokus på barns delaktighet, men implementeringen är fortfarande ojämn och ibland personberoende. Kunskapen om barns rättigheter varierar bland både civila aktörer och i kommuner, och då barnrättsperspektivet är svagt integrerat i ordinarie strukturer och arbetssätt, finns utvecklingsbehov för att barn ska kunna ses full ut som självständiga rättighetsbärare. Resultaten pekar på ett fortsatt behov av systematik, tydliga ansvarsfördelningar och långsiktig organisatorisk förankring för att barnrättsperspektivet ska få genomslag i praktiken. I en tid då funktionella mervärden ofta är de som betonas som nyttan av samverkan med civilsamhället, visar följeforskningen hur Rädda Barnen bidragit med andra former av mervärden och hur dessa är centrala för att stärka arbetet med en systematisk och effektiv barnrättsintegrering inom offentlig verksamhet. Dessa mervärden, tillsammans med de mer vanligt diskuterade och uppmärksammade funktionella mervärdena, kan skapa synergieffekter viktiga för att barnrättsperspektivet ska få långsiktigt fäste inom organisationer och bland invånare i lokalsamhällen.

Modell och rekommendationer för lokal samverkan

Rapporten avslutas med en modell för lokal samverkan och ett antal rekommendationer som syftar till att stödja kommuner och civilsamhällsaktörer i att utforma, strukturera och systematiskt följa upp samverkan både mer allmänt och särskilt i förhållande till nyanlända barn och deras familjer. Sammantaget visar följeforskningen att när samverkan bygger på tydliga mandat, gemensamma mål och ömsesidig tillit kan barns rättigheter få ökat få större genomslag i praktiken, mottagandets insatser kan bli mer samordnade och hållbara, och lokala mottagningsstrukturer stärks. Samtidigt understryker resultaten att detta kräver långsiktiga organisatoriska strukturer som sträcker sig bortom projektlogik, samt en tydlig ansvarskedja där barnets bästa utgör en utgångspunkt för gemensam planering, genomförande och uppföljning.

Consent is a core principle in social work, reflecting respect for individual autonomy. In child welfare services (CWS), however, obtaining consent becomes complex when parents must act on behalf of their children, particularly when concerns of abuse are present. This study examines the dynamics of consenting to voluntary interventions in CWS investigation reports of suspected child abuse. Analysing 118 cases from eleven Swedish municipalities, we assess whether consent met the requirement for validity. Drawing on Lukes’s three-dimensional view of power, we highlight the power dynamics shaping consent. Findings show that consent is often influenced by both parents and CWS, while children rarely have a voice. Consent was frequently partial, uninformed, or involuntary, and sometimes failed to address the needs of those identified as requiring support. In many cases, parents did not consent to recommended interventions, indicating that coercion was not widespread. The study highlights the complex interplay of power in child welfare consent processes and underscores the need for CWS to balance respect for parental autonomy with the duty to safeguard children’s rights. Transparent strategies for obtaining, assessing, and documenting consent are essential to ensure ethical practice and uphold children’s well-being.

Mobilization for up to 2 hours on the surgery day followed by 6 hours daily is advised in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathways for colorectal surgery, but this recommendation is often not met. Immediate mobilization (i.e. within 30 minutes of post-anesthesia care unit arrival) is considered safe, but its benefits and how patients and professionals view it remain unclear. This thesis is based on four studies using patients from the same cohort. Study I was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 144 patients assigned to immediate or standard ward mobilization. The primary outcome was physical activity measured as daily steps on postoperative days 1–3. Immediate mobilization did not improve physical activity compared to standard care, and no improvements were seen in any other physical or clinical outcomes. Study II was a qualitative interview study including patients (n=41) and healthcare professionals (n=5). Patients found immediate mobilization challenging but important and relied on support from staff. Professionals viewed it as a balance, stressing the need for resources and physiotherapist involvement. Study III was a secondary analysis of the RCT data in patients ≥65 years (frail n=32, non-frail n=64). Immediate mobilization appeared to help preserve functional ability in patients with mild frailty. Study IV included 107 patients who completed the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Score 2.0 questionnaire assessing functioning and participation before surgery, at 1 month, and by phone at 3, 6, and 12 months. Patients had more disability at 1 month but improved by 3 months after surgery. Older frail patients required up to 12 months to recover. In summary, immediate mobilization is safe but challenging after colorectal surgery with limited benefit; most patients recovered within 3 months, though frail elderly patients may need longer time.

This article is a reply to Johan Söderberg’s critique of constructivist environmental sociology. Lidskog and Sundqvist challenge his claim that the climate emergency requires social scientists to refrain from conducting sociological analyses of climate science, on the grounds that such analyses could be exploited by climate denialists. They argue that Söderberg bases his reasoning on simplified dichotomies—such as the choice between taking scientific knowledge for granted or problematizing it—and that he incorrectly attributes positions to them that they do not hold. The authors defend STS-inspired research that legitimizes critical examination of expertise, not to undermine climate science but to understand how knowledge is produced, organized, and used politically. By analyzing, for example, the IPCC, they show that climate expertise is already politically embedded and therefore requires sociological study. They call for a clearer justification of Söderberg’s own knowledge realism and open the possibility of collaboration between research on expertise and research on climate denial, rather than keeping these strands separate.

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) must balance timely care, safety, and resource utilization. Emergency department length of stay (EDLOS) is widely used as a proxy for ED performance, yet it primarily reflects elapsed time whose clinical meaningfulness depends on patient case-mix and context. Aim: The overall aim was to develop a deeper understanding of patient flow in Swedish EDs, with particular focus on process determinants of EDLOS and on patient groups at greatest risk of poor outcomes. Methods: Four studies were undertaken. Study I was a concept analysis of “long EDLOS”. Study II was a retrospective observational study of 222,047 ED visits from two hospitals, estimating the impact of input-, throughput and output factors on EDLOS. Study III examined high‑frequency ED users (HEDU) at a university hospital (121,403 visits), assessing prevalence, costs, and process outcomes. Study IV linked national registries across 5,049,641 ED visits from 15 sites (2015–2023) to analyse associations between EDLOS and adverse outcomes. Results: Long EDLOS is often used as a proxy for other phenomena. Throughput processes were the dominant factors impacting EDLOS. HEDU comprised 6.1% of patients but accounted for 22.4% of visits and a disproportionate share of costs. In Study IV, absolute EDLOS displayed a non‑linear association with mortality, with elevated risk at very short stays. Patients with non‑specific complaints were vulnerable to extended EDLOS. Conclusions: EDLOS is a useful metric, but when dichotomized, blunt and imprecise. Patient flow in the ED is not necessarily a reflection of levels of crowding and access block. Deviations from the expected EDLOS — whether longer or shorter — better predict adverse out-comes than absolute duration, highlighting the need for contextualised patient-centred performance metrics.

The topic of this thesis is the economics of transformative technology, with the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labour market as the primary focus.

Analysing German data, Essay I shows that occupational AI exposure was associated with wage gains, and an increased focus on knowledge-intensive tasks. There is a clear contrast between the types of work that are exposed to AI, versus robotics.

Essay II finds that AI exposure is associated with AI adoption and increased labour demand, as measured by job vacancy postings, in Swedish establishments/workplaces.

Essay III develops a novel measure of occupational AI exposure, called Dynamic AI Occupational Exposure (DAIOE). AI exposure is shown to be associated with upskilling at the firm level in Sweden, Denmark, and Portugal.

Essay IV analyses the labour market implications of the growing social and verbal capabilities of large language models (LLMs). Analysis of occupational data from O*NET and job ads provides a map of the most important types of social work tasks. Among social tasks, verbal communication tasks have the strongest association with occupational exposure to LLMs.

Essay V is about the impact of venture capital (VC) on start-up firms. Investment from both private and governmental VCs is found to increase sales with a 2-3 year delay, driven primarily by efficiency gains, and to some extent, capital investment. Governmental VCs are more likely to make follow-on investments in non-growing firms.

This dissertation examines how political expectations of educational research have been formulated, transformed, and institutionalised in Swedish education policy from the 1930s to 2025. It analyses the political functions these expectations have served in the governance and legitimation of schooling and situates them in relation to broader processes of modernity.

The study is based on a historical document analysis of Swedish parliamentary and research policy materials, including government inquiries, bills, committee reports, and other policy documents concerning the organisation, funding, and use of educational research. These documents are analysed as institutional arenas in which political expectations are articulated, negotiated, and stabilised over time.

The dissertation combines perspectives from educational ideology, modernity theory, and the sociology of expectations. The analysis shows that educational research has become an increasingly central political resource under conditions of uncertainty, reform pressure, and changing modes of governance. Over time, expectations have shifted from portraying research as a general modernising resource to emphasising applicability, comparability, and evidence. Rather than diminishing under uncertainty, political reliance on educational research has repeatedly been reformulated and reinforced. Educational research has thus become a central resource in the governance and legitimation of Swedish schooling.

This thesis investigates academic language teaching in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, with a particular focus on multilingual children’s academic language development. Academic language is more complex and abstract than everyday language, and recent research emphasizes the need to foster children’s academic language skills in early education. The study contributes insights into teachers’ perspectives on language teaching and how language teaching that aims to develop children’s academic language can be orga-nized and carried out.

The thesis advocates a shift from traditional, implicit stimulation to intentional academic language teaching to better support multilingual children. The study’s combination of theories of language, multi-lingualism, and teaching offers a foundation for explicit academic language teaching.

A mixed-methods approach was used, in which two interconnected studies were undertaken. A survey study identified four teacher profiles, demonstrating differences in teaching strategies, multilingual awareness, organizational conditions, and perceptions of being a linguistic role model. A practice-based study developed an empirically grounded, theoretically informed teaching model. Seven teachers tested and refined, in two iterations, the six-step model Academic Languaging.

This forward-looking book examines emotional geographies as both a subdiscipline and a practice. Written collaboratively, the authors demonstrate the diverse ways in which emotions influence research, knowledge and everyday life, inviting readers to recognise emotions as a fundamental component of human understanding, actions and relationships.

Chapters highlight how the study of emotional geography provides crucial insights into pillars of daily life, such as power, work, care and social change. Drawing on feminist and embodied traditions, the book combines conceptual reflection, methodological innovation and lived experience to outline the impact of emotional geography on key challenges such as political unrest, the climate crisis, migration and technological change. Tracing the evolution of the field, the authors emphasise its future potential in research and practical applications, as well as its capacity to foster a more empathetic world.

A Research Agenda for Emotional Geographies is an illuminating read for scholars and students of human geography, the social sciences and humanities, and particularly those interested in working with emotions across contexts. Feminist, decolonial, migration and climate change researchers will also benefit from the book’s interdisciplinary approach.

The interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and chemical pollution constitute nothing less than an existential threat to humanity. Yet the global community’s response is manifestly inadequate. Against this backdrop, this dissertation analyses climate obstruction through the notion of corporate environmental legitimation – a relational process that cultivates and maintains the perception that corporations are suitable, willing and capable environmental stewards, even within a structurally unsustainable economic system. Empirically, the dissertation presents a multi-method case study of the Ellen Mac-Arthur Foundation (EMF), a leading advocacy organisation promoting the concept of a circular economy. Combining critical political economy and critical discourse analyses, it examines EMF’s funding, networks, governance, policy engagement, promotional practices, dis-course and relations to EU circular economy policy. The findings shows that EMF plays a central role in promoting a version of the circular economy that reinforces corporate environmental legitimacy, and that this largely overlaps with the EU’s version. Corporate initiatives are framed as meaningful progress within content circulated through EMF’s promotional system, where different legitimation strategies interact to reinforce this message. Furthermore, the analysis shows that EMF mobilises the circular economy as a brand, directing public enthusiasm towards corporate “circular” initiatives. The dissertation argues that this constitutes an important mode of climate obstruction: messages that create the impression that adequate solutions are underway function as smoke and mirrors. They foster hope in incremental improvements while potentially crowding out attention to the urgent systemic transformations required to return humanity to a safe operating space.

Rapid changes in population health needs have increased the importance of understanding how healthcare institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) support the development of healthcare professionals’ competencies. While traditional training has primarily emphasised clinical and technical skills, healthcare systems in LMICs often face additional challenges related to limited resources, entrenched hierarchies, and complex cultural contexts. These conditions highlight the need to better understand the development of non-technical skills (NTSs), including communication, teamwork, leadership, and interprofessional collaboration.

This thesis examines how healthcare professionals understand and develop NTSs, with particular attention to leadership and interprofessional collaboration within healthcare settings in the Balkan region and in the context of international healthcare partnerships in Sweden. The study applies a designed experiential learning approach grounded in participatory and interactive educational practices. Kolb’s experiential learning theory serves as the overarching conceptual framework and is applied across individual, team, and organisational levels, with surveys-used to stimulate dialogue.

The thesis is presented as a compilation, consisting of an introduction and four empirical studies employing both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data were collected through interviews, focusgroups, and observations.

The findings indicate that designed experiential learning approaches effectively foster the development and understanding of NTSs. These skills develop in ways that are closely shaped by organisational structures and cultural contexts. The results contribute to a growing body of evidence supporting experiential, participatory, and context-sensitive approaches in healthcare education and suggest that traditional dyadic mentoring alone is insufficient to support professional development in increasingly complex healthcare environments.

In public health crises, such as pandemics, nurses’ willingness to care for patients, even when risking one’s own well-being, is essential. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore nurses’ willingness to care, and experiences of nursing care and altruism, in relation to a pandemic. The thesis includes four qualitative studies, based on interviews with primarily intensive care nurses, in which the phenomenological hermeneutical method and systematic text condensation were used for analysis, and in addition, the concept of professional altruism was clarified. The composite findings of the qualitative studies (studies I–IV) showed that, before the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses felt ambivalence towards the phenomenon of altruism. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Sweden, nurses showed great willingness to care for patients and displayed altruistic behaviour. Working at over full capacity took its toll, and nurses’ willingness to care started to diminish when personal consequences became apparent. They were pushed to the edge, and for some nurses their willingness to care was transformed into a need to prioritise oneself, and ultimately to resign from intensive care. The last study (Study V) considered professional altruism as a willingness to act for others, a moral orientation, a motivational force, an unwavering professional expectation, and a valued, yet challenged and sometimes rejected phenomenon. Supporting the willingness to care and professional altruism, as well as to prepare nurses and nursing students for future crises, including ethical decision-making in situations of scarce resources, is crucial to ensure effective health crisis management in the future.

Overall aim: The overall aim was to investigate and optimize inhaler use and patient education in COPD in primary health care.

Methods: Study I was an observational study assessing patients’ inhaler use. Study II was a non-randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating the effect of an additional inhaler education session. Study III was a register-based study identifying factors associated with patient education. Study IV was a qualitative focus group study exploring asthma/COPD nurses’ experiences of inhaler education.

Results: In Study I, 45% of the 183 patients made at least one inhaler error; 50% made errors related to device handling, 31% made errors relating to inhalation technique, and 19% made both types of error. In Study II, the education group showed a significant improvement in device-handling errors, after one revisit. Study III revealed that only 44% of patients with COPD had received patient education, primarily those with more severe disease. In Study IV, asthma/COPD nurses described inhalation treatment as challenging, and reported deficiencies particularly in continuing education, limited managerial support, and insufficient time for patient care.

Conclusions: The findings demonstrate a high prevalence of incorrect inhaler use among patients with COPD. Categorizing errors into device-handling and inhalation-technique errors may simplify assessment and facilitate more individualized, patient-centered education. Health care organizations should prioritize COPD and support asthma/COPD nurses through education, collaboration, and adequate time for patient care. Patient education, including inhaler training, should be initiated earlier and offered to more patients.

Bloodstream infection (BSI) is a life-threatening condition associated with high mortality. Pathogen identification is essential for patient management, yet blood culture (BC), the diagnostic gold standard, may require 2–5 days and has reduced sensitivity after antimicrobial treatment. This thesis investigates modern molecular DNA sequencing approaches for detecting bacterial DNA as a diagnostic alternative. In Study I, a cohort of 484 patients with suspected BSI was described, and prediction tools were applied to identify patients at high risk of BSI for subsequent studies. Study II used whole blood samples from 51 patients to detect bacterial DNA with short-read sequencing and showed low concordance with routine BC results. In Study III, a shotgun metagenomic workflow using the Nanopore platform was developed, and DNA extraction efficiency was evaluated in contrived samples. Bacterial DNA recovery was slightly higher in whole blood than in plasma, but no firm conclusion regarding the optimal sample matrix could be drawn. We also observed that extraction efficiency differed between bacterial species. Based on these methodological challenges and limited sensitivity, Study IV evaluated bacterial DNA enrichment prior to sequencing through short BC incubation (4 h) followed by targeted 16S gene sequencing in 161patients selected using the criteria defined in Study I. This workflow showed increased diagnostic performance, with sensitivity of 56.8% and specificity of 46.7% compared with BC. Additional bacteria with plausible clinical relevance were detected in a few patients with negative routine BC. Overall, the sequencing protocols evaluated in this thesis provided limited additional diagnostic value for BSI compared to BC. In comparison with the literature, we highlight methodological challenges to guide future research in this area.

This scoping review examines school-based programs aimed at promoting the adjustment and well-being of recently arrived immigrant adolescents. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, five databases (Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, ERIC) were systematically searched for studies published since 2000, focusing on interventions implemented in formal school settings for recently arrived adolescents. The review identified 15 studies evaluating outcomes of 17 programs. Most school-based programs for recently arrived adolescents aimed to promote social-emotional well-being, mitigate mental health problems, strengthen resilience and social support, or address trauma-related symptoms. Around 50% of the reviewed programs had some effects on the intended outcomes. Despite some promising findings, the current literature has several limitations that limit the ability to draw robust conclusions. Future research needs to focus on understanding why, how, and for whom programs lead (or do not lead) to intended outcomes, and on developing effective programs that can be implemented using available resources at school. 

This article investigates how pressures toward constraint in higher education, conceptualized analytically as saturation, can be understood through the perspectives of communication professionals within Scandinavian higher education institutions (HEIs). Drawing on 29 qualitative interviews with communication professionals at twelve HEIs across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the study examines how these actors frame changing expectations around relevance, efficiency, and questions of institutional legitimacy. Rather than treating saturation as a purely structural condition, the article approaches it as an analytical concept emerging from how actors interpret and respond to converging pressures, highlighting the communicative practices through which universities navigate new constraints. The article contributes to higher education research by advancing understanding of saturation beyond labour market mismatch and capacity limits, showing how it is constructed through strategic communication. It also provides empirical insight into how universities respond to emerging pressures and offers a framework for understanding how professional staff interpret changing conditions in higher education systems under pressure.

The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to knowledge about teachers’ didactic choices when teaching content to students with intellectual disabilities. To achieve this, the study examines how teachers choose and justify teaching content. The focus is on content that highlights the educational goals of democracy and sustainable development. The results from the sub-studies are developed into didactic principles that explain how teachers can make content decisions to prepare students with intellectual disabilities for adulthood in society and the world. Didactic theory helps explain teachers’ content choices by emphasizing the connections among teachers, students, and content, as well as the democratic purpose of education and the broader contexts of schooling, society, and global sustainability. Three studies were conducted: a scoping review (Study I) and two interview and observation studies (Studies II and III). Study I shows that teachers’ didactic choices are rarely explicitly discussed in prior research and that academic content often overlaps with life functional content. Study II identifies participation, independence, and communication as key reasons for selecting content for students with intellectual disabilities; these reasons are evident across school, societal, and global contexts. Study III shows that teachers incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability concepts into their teaching. These choices help students develop skills that support a sustainable society and world – such as self-determination, codetermination, and solidarity. In the final chapter, the findings are synthesized into three didactic principles based on teachers’ choices: 1. Teaching should give students with intellectual disabilities the chance to become active agents in a democratic society. 2. Teaching should provide students with intellectual disabilities opportunities for communication, independence, and participation. 3. Teaching should enable students with intellectual disabilities to contribute to sustainable development.

Modern medicine relies heavily on effective antimicrobial therapies. However, rapid emergence and global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threaten the treatment and control of bacterial infections. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhoea, has an extraordinary capacity to acquire and develop resistance to all antimicrobials introduced for treatment. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the evolution and global emergence of AMR over the past century. This thesis further investigates whether the observed genomic data patterns are sufficiently informative for accurate prediction of antimicrobial susceptibility that can directly inform treatment.

By applying whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to global, historical, and contemporary gonococcal collections spanning all continents and isolated from the pre-antibiotic era to the present day, several questions can be addressed. The data revealed that the global gonococcal population is divided into two distinct lineages with different evolutionary strategies. Furthermore, temporal analysis demonstrates that the modern N. gonorrhoeae is younger than previously presumed and that antimicrobial exposure has been a major driver of the evolution of this species.

The accumulated knowledge base of phenotypic and especially genomic AMR generated in this work is compiled and integrated within a dedicated analytical framework, SensiTyper, demonstrating that WGS-based approaches can infer antimicrobial susceptibility and recommend susceptibility-guided individualised treatment strategies.

This essay attempts to draw together a coherent theory of cognitive emergence from Jean-François Lyotard’s speculations on thinking machines and from his later writings on sense and aesthetic experience. The essay situates Lyotard’s arguments about cognition in the context of recent successes of large language model (LLM) artificial intelligence and the persistence of the so-called ‘symbol grounding problem’ in that field. Rather than tracing a developmental line from stimulus at the material substrate to symbolic reasoning, Lyotard envisions a recursive relationship between sense and reason, in which new forms of thought emerge from an agent’s sensuous experience of symbolic categories and logical constructs, even if that experience is just the suffering of waiting for an analogy to form or a paradox to resolve. It is through an agent’s sensuous experience of its own thoughts that it is able to form an internal model of itself inside of time—a crucial ingredient for genuine cognition.  

Given the intensifying environmental and sustainability crises that societies face, there is an urgent need for transformative change on all levels in society. A key question is what role education can, and should have, in a transformation toward sustainability. In this chapter we suggest one answer to this question by outlining a teaching approach in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) called critical pluralism. By drawing on the wider and established pluralistic tradition in ESE, we outline what a critical pluralistic approach could mean in teaching practice. Central to this approach is that arguments and opinions that are brought up in classrooms must be critically scrutinized by both the teacher and the students. However, discussing environmental and sustainability issues comes with didactic challenges for teachers, such as how to open for plural perspectives without giving into an “anything goes” relativism. In this chapter we address this and similar didactic challenges. In our closing discussion we argue that critical pluralistic ESE is not merely teaching strategy to implement but can be seen as a more fundamental approach to the relation between education, democracy and transformative change.