| 1. |
- Li, Xiaoying
(författare)
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Energy Efficiency in buildings in the Baltic states and the Nordic countries
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Improving energy efficiency in buildings is widely viewed as a cost-effective way of achieving climate and energy goals. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) aims to enhance the energy performance of new buildings and increase the renovation rate of energy-inefficient older buildings in the European Union. This study evaluates the effects of regulatory instruments on actual energy savings in countries across the Baltic Sea region, with a focus on residential buildings in Sweden and Lithuania. Specifically, Paper [I] estimates the effects of building codes on energy savings for newly constructed multi-apartment buildings in Sweden. Paper [II] evaluates the effects of retrofit programmes on realized dynamic energy savings for old Soviet-era multi-apartment buildings in Lithuania. Connecting with Paper [II], Paper [III] measures the energy performance gap—the discrepancy between actual energy savings and engineer-predicted savings for multi-apartment buildings in Lithuania. In Paper [IV], the focus turns from energy efficiency to inflation issues. Given the recent developments of high inflation and energy prices, the paper explores the relationship between energy price inflation and inflation expectations in Sweden.
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| 2. |
- Jansson, Johan, 1974-
(författare)
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Internetbranschen i Stockholms innerstad : En studie av agglomerationsfördelar, sociala nätverksrelationer och informationsflöden
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis deals with questions concerning spatial agglomeration of economic activities. The object of study is the Internet industry in central Stockholm. Through the use of statistical data and an interview study the Internet industry is described, measured, and analyzed through theories concerning agglomerations, social network relations, and knowledge and information flows. These theories are interpreted through five agglomeration themes related to the role of customers, subcontractors and partners, competitors, financing, and labour market, respec-tively.The research has recognized the importance of proximity to create and maintain social networks, and to spread information and knowledge, especially tacit knowledge. The thesis also shows how social networks, and information and knowledge flows have an essential role in all the five agglomeration themes that are analyzed. The results of this analysis show that the proximity to customers is the most important factor for the location of the Internet indus-try. Also, the local labour market and access to suppliers and partners are important factors. Competitors and rivals have a role to play when it comes to the diffusion of knowledge and information, although its importance as a location factor is hard to estimate. The analysis of the firms’ financing demonstrate that this factor hardly has been of crucial importance for the location of the Internet industry, but access to (venture) capital might have been of indirect importance for the location and the pace of the development of the Internet industry.
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| 3. |
- Trumberg, Anders, 1976-
(författare)
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Den delade skolan : segregationsprocesser i det svenska skolsystemet
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the beginning of the 1990s the responsibility for the compulsory schools shifted from the government to the local authorities, a freedom of choice was introduced, and several municipalities brought in a school voucher system. With these changes, the educational system in Sweden went from being one of the world’s most government dominated and unified, to one with a high level of freedom of choice. The overall aim for this study is to explore the interplay between the school choice policy in the compulsory school and the process of integration and segregation on a school level. The aim is also specifically to study to what degree the pupils’ choice of school reflect the schools’ composition, with regards to ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds between 1992 and 2004.The thesis is based on three different kinds of materials; registry data from SCB (Statistics Sweden), the municipality’s data surrounding the school applications, and interviews with civil servants, politicians, and head teachers. In conclusion, the study shows that a divide has emerged between different schools, the make-up of pupils is becoming more homogenous, and the school as a meeting place between different ethnic groups is affected in a negative way. The study also shows that the school choices have an influence on this segregation between the schools. However, there are a small number of exceptions. In certain schools, the ethnic mix of pupils is relatively fair.
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| 4. |
- Beckmann, Cecilia, 1964-
(författare)
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Diversification and strategic, long-distance partnerships : Bofors' struggle through times of crisis and uncertainty
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This is a case study that aims to explain how the company Bofors in Karlskoga, Sweden, struggled through three periods of crisis or uncertainty, while remaining innovative. It begins in the late 19th century and ends in the early 21st century after Bofors had been divested. The investigation takes a constructivist approach and focuses on the experiences of individuals. The data consists of archived letters, interviews and secondary sources. The concept of diversification is applied to explain how Bofors, originally an ironworks acquired new technologies and skills over the years, which were combined in a number of ways, resulting in an innovative local knowledge infrastructure. This development took place while the company sought to adapt to a changing institutional environment – societal norms, rules and practices – following two world wars, disarmament and deindustrialisation. The results also show that, during each of the three periods, Bofors was dependent on long-distance partnerships with external actors to gain new knowledge or financial resources, or both. Different dimensions of proximity are applied, revealing that cognitive proximity was most important for the success of the partnerships. Partners collaborating on innovations had to share a knowledge base. And, preferably, partners’ knowledge should be complementary. But if no proximities were high during the early phase of a partnership, if partners were too far apart from cognitive, geographical, social, institutional and organisational perspectives, then geographical proximity was crucial for increasing the other proximities. To meet face-to-face was necessary in order to learn from each other and to bridge gaps in the relationship caused by partners not knowing each other and belonging to different organisations and cultures with different languages and traditions.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Gustavsson, Eva, 1956-
(författare)
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Mellan det lokala och det globala : klimat, kommuner, nätverk
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Between the local and the global: climate, local governments, networks The notion of an ongoing global warming is shared by a large number of researchers and decision-makers around the world. Through the act of signing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change a majority of the world's naitons have accepted the idea of human induced climate change, and to develop national climate change mitigation programmes. The Kyoto protocol later quantified the commitments made by the nations. The issue of climate change has become a political issue of its own. In the European Union as well as in Sweden and other nations, climate mitigation goals, programmes and strategies are developed. This is also the situation on the local level, for example in Swedish municipalities, which is the context of this study. Local goverment is an important actor in climate mitigation, both as a political organization in its own right and as an arena involving actors from different sectors in society. Climate change mitigation measures conducted by local governments re partly shaped by national grant programmes. The study shows, however, that the local context - the palce - with its natural prerequisites, economic structures and composition of actors, is just as decisive for how the local climate policies are developed and implemented. It also shows that although responsibility for the environment is an important driving force in local climate mitigation there are at least two other dirving forces; local and regional development and the symbolic valute of being in the forefront of climate change mitigation. Another arena where actors in climate change mitigation meet is the network. Together wiht actors from different sectors and levels many municipalities participate in various networks, with local to global extension. The fact that the netsorks like climate change in inself transcends political and administrative borders, is alsö addressed theoretically in the study, focusing upon the concepts of re-scaling, multilevel governance and network governance, which constitute the theoretichal fram of the thesis.
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| 7. |
- Hedfeldt, Mona, 1979-
(författare)
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Företagande kvinnor i bruksort : arbetsliv och vardagsliv i samspel
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Bergslagen region in Sweden has a history of iron and steel production, and in the small industrial towns in the region, one large employer has often held a strong position. Although the region has gone through structural change since the 1970’s, in previous research, becoming self-employed is perceived of as difficult, since it implies going against a strong working culture. The image of Bergslagen is that of a non-entrepreneurial region. Furthermore, in previous research, the gender contract in the region is characterized as traditional. In this thesis light is shed on women in the region who are self-employed. Topics that are focused on are work experience, role models, family situation and networks. The study builds on qualitative interviews and longitudinal registry based statistics (1993-2003). The interviews were carried out in the municipalities of Norberg and Fagersta with self-employed women in the fields of health and business services. Conclusions drawn concern both the region Bergslagen as an entrepreneurial region and the lives of self-employed women. The situations and conditions under which women become and remain self-employed displays a complex interaction between different areas of life, both in relation to the start-up phase and the subsequent running of their businesses. The idea of the region as non-entrepreneurial is scrutinized. For one, the share of self-employed in the Bergslagen municipalities only differs among men, compared to the national average. The share of self-employed women in the region, however, is similar to the national average. Furthermore, the share of self-employed men and women varies among the municipalities within the region. Thus, it is problematic to speak of the region as non-entrepreneurial and as homogenous when it comes to self-employment and entrepreneurship. These findings indicate that the idea of the region as non-entrepreneurial is an expression of both the region being male coded and women entrepreneurs being subordinated.
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| 8. |
- Lind, Patrik, 1976-
(författare)
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Regionbildning : En institutionell studie av Region Skåne, Västra Götalandsregionen, och "Region Svealand"
- 2010
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Based on the concept of path-dependence, this thesis examines regional representatives’ notion of rationalizations in three Swedish regions. In the provinces of Skåne and Västra Götaland the responsibility for welfare issues like health care, regional development, communications, and culture, is appointed to the two organizations Region Skåne and Västra Götalandsregionen. Both organizations are results of merger processes between old organizations called landsting, with a smaller geographical scale and less responsibility. In Svealand three landsting formally have applied for a similar fusion like the ones in Skåne and in Västra Götaland. The idea behind these fusions is that rationalizations in the field of welfare, are achieved by changing the scale of production, from lesser to larger units. This thesis shows that the perceived effect of rationalization by fusion, can take time. Old norms, values, and cultures that emanate from the landsting are for example conceived by the regional representatives in Västra Götaland and in Svealand, to prevent what kind of rationalizations the organizations are able to accomplish. In Skåne, on the contrary, the notion that the regional organization has overcome its historically defined problems, dominate. In that sense, Västra Götalandregionen and the region-building process in Svealand are path-dependent. But Region Skåne, on the other hand, has overcome its historical institutional legacy. This thesis highlights the importance of examining organization histories to be able to understand why certain decisions are hard to make, and why institutions evolve or not. This is also important to acknowledge when the regions’ representatives try to construct regions. From this perspective, the thesis tries to clarify how people’s expectations can delay what kind of rationalizations an organization can implement and how these expectations seem to legitimize what decisions the organization are able to take. The thesis also tries to clarify one way of using the concept of “path-dependence” in academic studies by the usage of ideal types.
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| 9. |
- Möller, Peter, 1974-
(författare)
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Young adults in rural tourism areas
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis examines how tourism affects conditions for young adults in rural areas. Such a study lies at the intersection of research about tourism impacts, adult transition, and rural areas. The aim is to examine how largescale tourism affects the opportunities for young adults living in rural areas; their perception of place and the perceived opportunities and obstacles that tourism provides.The thesis utilizes a mixed method approach. A quantitative study based on micro-data on individuals identifies the patterns and magnitudes of the mechanisms by which tourism affects population change among young adults. Interview methods are used in the case study area, Sälen, to investigate these mechanisms in depth. Finally, the rural–urban dichotomy is explored in a conceptual study that asks how tourism affects the perception of a local village as either rural or urban. Young inhabitants in rural areas are rarely considered in tourism research; therefore, the main contribution of this thesis is that it illuminates how tourism affects conditions for young adults in rural areas.The thesis reveals a substantial impact on the adult transition, mainly due to easier access to the labor market and a good supply of jobs during the high season. Further, the large number of people passing through creates flows of opportunities to make friends, get a job, or just meet people. All of these factors contribute to high mobility in these places, and to the perception of them as places where things happen. The high mobility in Sälen implies that fixed migrant categories (such as stayers and leavers) are largely insufficient. The tourism environment creates a space that is always under construction and continually producing new social relations mainly perceived as opportunities. Conceptualizing this as a modern rurality is a way to move beyond the often implicit notions of urban as modern and rural as traditional.
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| 10. |
- Olsson, Christopher, 1988-
(författare)
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Encountering the meeting place : The production of public space in contemporary Swedish planning
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A common theme in contemporary Swedish planning discussions is that we no longer meet each other in public spaces. This perceived lack of interpersonal meetings and encounters is said to reinforce the use ofstereotypes and create further distance between differences in the city. The fundamental idea behind this argument is the perception of public space as threatening and insecure, which works as a barrier to the necessary meetings. Consequently, public spaces are rapidly being reconceptualized, redeveloped and repurposed into meeting places. In this conceptualization, the meeting place is intended to generate new social relations that transcend social boundaries and perceptions of belonging, support economic development, and revitalize representative democracy.This thesis explores the production of public space as meeting place with the aim of critically discussing and nuancing the practices and ideasthat are currently leading this process. Mobilizing the production of space as its theoretical framework and using empirical material collected through interviews, observations, and planning documents from three mid-sized cities in Sweden, this research seeks to understand how the meeting place is conceptualized and how it can be understood within Swedish municipal planning. The thesis discusses the discrepancies between vision and practice, abstract and concrete space, by focusing on representations of the meeting place and the practices employed to materialize them. The researchshows that the meeting place in Swedish planning is to be understood as a dominant representation of space, which is represented through the articulation of a specific public while it is building on a consensusoriented production of meaning in a specific material context. This, I argue, contributes to reconceptualizing social problems into questions of form that can be resolved by planning rather than by politics.
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