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- Lundholm, Mikael, 1975-
(författare)
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The social contingency of law : Studies of social control during foreclosure in Sweden
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Summary: This thesis empirically investigates how law and other social control responses during foreclosure in Sweden are contingent upon differences in social status. The thesis draws upon American sociologist Donald Black’s theoretical framework on social control to explain this social contingency. According to Black, variations in social control responses are explained and predicted by variations in the social structure pertaining to, for example, differences in wealth and relational distance between the stakeholders.The thesis consists of an introductory framework and four papers. Paper 1 employs register micro data from the Swedish Enforcement Authority (SEA) about foreclosure sale, and from Statistics Sweden about the foreclosure debtors, to explore how the socio-economic status of the debtors has changed from 2000 to 2014. Papers 2 and 3 employ the same type of data to explore different aspects of the behaviour of law: the relationship between lender–borrower relational distance and the quantity of law, and between borrower socio-economic status and the compensatory style of law, respectively. Paper 4 employs expert interviews with debt collection officers and managers to explore the relationship between how Swedish mortgage lenders organize and conduct debt collection measures aimed at delinquent borrowers, and the quantity of negotiation. The results in Papers 2–4 indicate that social control responses during foreclosure in Sweden are contingent upon differences in social status between the lender and the borrower.The thesis’ main contribution is that it provides empirical evidence of the socially contingent nature of law and other social control responses. This addresses one of the foundational debates within the sociology of law regarding the relationship between the institutions of law and social control, on the one hand, and the organization of social relations and behaviour, on the other. Specifically, the thesis contributes with empirical applications of Donald Black’s theoretical framework using register and interview data, and an independent theory of negotiation during foreclosure in the Blackian paradigm. Furthermore,by demonstrating the relevance of Black for empirical studies of social control and for understanding the social contingency of law, the thesis aims to contribute to ongoing discussions within the sociology of law regarding the possibility of attaining positivistic yet critical knowledge about law-related phenomena. In conclusion, the implications of the social contingency of law for the SEA are discussed.
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| 2. |
- Svensson, Måns
(författare)
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Occurrence patterns of dead wood and wood-dependent lichens in managed boreal forest landscapes
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Dead wood is a key resource for biodiversity, on which thousands of forest organisms are dependent. Because of current forest management, there has been a large-scale change in dead wood amounts and qualities, and consequently, many wood-dependent species are threatened. The general aim of this thesis is to increase our understanding of habitat requirements and occurrence patterns of wood-dependent lichens in managed, boreal forest landscapes. We surveyed dead wood and wood-dependent lichens in three study landscapes of managed boreal forest in southern Sweden. The observed occurrence patterns of dead wood in the studied landscapes are to a large extent attributable to management practices, with clear-felling as the main driver of dead wood input. Harvesting forest biomass for bio-fuel production will cause wood-dependent lichens species to decline. Coarse woody debris is important for wood-dependent lichens, but stumps, snags and logs host different species assemblages. Snags are rare in managed forest landscapes and increasing the landscape-scale amount of them would benefit wood-dependent lichens. The previously neglected dead wood type of dead branches on living trees make up a large portion of all dead wood available to wood-dependent species in managed boreal forests. Fine woody debris, including both branches on the ground and dead branches attached to living trees, was, however, found to have a low relative importance for wood-dependent lichens. We modeled species abundance in relation to characteristics of dead wood objects and forest stands, and estimated the landscape-scale abundance of wood-dependent lichens. Young managed forests <60 years of age held the largest populations of these species, because such stands contain more coarse woody debris per hectare than older forests or forested mires, and they occupy a much larger total area. Keeping parts of the landscape outside the forestry system is probably necessary to maintain the landscape-scale persistence of dead wood types that are rarely created within standard management regimes. To conserve the most threatened wood-dependent species, it is necessary to find ways to create and maintain dead wood types and qualities that are currently rare in managed boreal forest landscapes.
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| 3. |
- Svensson, Måns
(författare)
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Sociala normer och regelefterlevnad : Trafiksäkerhetsfrågor ur ett rättssociologiskt perspektiv
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The thesis aims to: (a) broaden the knowledge base that makes up the foundation for decisions with regard to how traffic law enforcement is best outlined, as well as increasing the understanding of how the shaping of different public instruments of control affects the chances of success; and (b) contribute to the development of theory and methodology within sociology of law. The relationship between legal rules and social norms play a crucial part in the analysis. The study takes place within the framework of the broader question of how traffic control and sanctioning systems in general influence the road-users behaviour. Other strategies such as education, information or various technical solutions are ever so important but fall outside the scope of the specific issue being investigated in this study. The specific research question is: Can the observance of the laws on the roads be increased through increased traffic control and/or through more stringent sanctions? The question is delimited to speed, seat belt use and sobriety. The thesis thus operates using three fundamental unities of analysis: speed, seat belt use and sanction. The question will be answered using five main instruments. Firstly, it concerns a theoretical model of analysis developed for the study, which has been used in the design of the empirical analyses as well as in the analysis of empirical results. Secondly, the investigation originates from a description of the law and the authorities that are administrators of justice in the field. Thirdly, the results from an empirical investigation are presented that was directed towards Swedish embassies around the world and that gives an illustration of how supervision and sanctions are used in other countries. Fourthly, it relates to a literature study where European research results in the field are presented. Fifthly, the results from an empirical study of social norms in Sweden are presented, which has been conducted through a survey that a thousand people responded to. To conclude, it can be ascertained that the supervision and the sanctions are determining factors in terms of ensuring the observance of the laws on the roads. This is shown by both the literature study and the embassy study. The survey showed that the scope to improve the observance of the laws through increased supervision of the speed, seat belt and sobriety rules is decidedly broadest in the speed domain. If one wants to understand the reasons behind the reality that the law has not been able to ensure observance of the laws within the speed domain, one must proceed from the political action that forms the basis of Swedish road safety work. A fundamental problem is that the politicians have chosen to convey the zero vision to the authorities concerned through a concentrated proposed law, which is an exceedingly weak instrument of control. The political apparatus marks averseness and the authorities concerned turn downwards in the system directly towards the citizens to construct legitimacy. This kind of steering can in some areas be efficient and bring about positive results. But when dealing with an area where a gap has developed between the social norm system and the legal system, it is rather a counterproductive form of steering. When the authorities responsible for implementing the legislation must turn towards the public to seek support for their actions, it is clearly difficult to come to the conclusion of pressuring the public to act against their will. The legislation says one thing and the social norms another and the authorities concerned lack clear signals from both political quarters and from the public.
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