Aspects of Democracy

In this episode, postdoctoral researcher Nora Anter joins the podcast to discuss her research on meritocracy. In her thesis, she examined whether promotions in Sweden’s local government bureaucracy are based solely on merit, or whether they are influenced by the groups to which people belong. Which groups are disadvantaged in public-sector careers in Swedish local government today? Are there also...

In this episode, Dr Karin Leijon , associate professor in political science, talks about courts as political actors. Based on her research, she addresses the influence the judicial power has on our every-day lives. Furthermore, what does the rule of law mean for citizens in terms of stability or transparency? Why is it important to separate legislative, executive, and judicial power, and how can t...

Thanks to the listeners’ questions, Mikael Rundqvist , associate professor in political science, joins Helena Iacobaeus in a vivid fireside chat on music and politics! They bring up music that aims to change society for the better and music for expressing political visions or dystopias. Have meeting and bonding through music been a source of empowerment in freedom movements and democracy movements...

What can be done when a local municipality lacks resources to take on the challenges of today? One way is to pool resources by cooperating with neighbouring municipalities. In this episode, Katarina Sandberg, PhD candidate in political science, talks about her research on municipalities that take on challenges together. How common is intermunicipal cooperation? Could it be problematic from the poi...

What can be done to strengthen democracy in Europe? What are the main obstacles for legitimacy and accountability in supranational decision-making? Based on his research on the European Union, Martin Björklund , PhD student in political science, talks about legitimacy, identity, challenges and values. Tune in to listen to our talk on where the European Union might be headed! -- The podcast series...

Junior football leagues, choirs, environmental organisations and knitting clubs… what do they have to do with politics? What role - if any - does civil society play for a well-functioning democracy? Based on her research on local democracy, trust, discontent and participation, Susanne Wallman Lundåsen , senior assistant professor, talks about the role that civil society plays in building and stren...

Curious about research for democracy? Or about PhD life in general? A few weeks before her thesis defense, Helena looks back at her journey towards a finished thesis and deals with collected listeners’ questions on PhD life. Against a backdrop of her earlier meetings with guests from a wide range of research fields, she reflects on the many ways to approach democracy research. Together with guest...

In this episode of Aspects of Democracy,  Professor Elin Wihlborg returns to talk about literacy in a modern era, when digital skills and media literacy are important parts of our abilities to understand society and express ourselves. Elin is professor in political science with a broad background from welfare and democracy research and specialised in studies of how digitalisation of society affect...

What role does social equality play in a functioning democracy? Is representation important in politics, media and culture? Magnus Dahlstedt , Professor of Social Work and writer, makes a stop in the studio during his current book tour and talks about the effects of inequality in politics and education. Based on his research on segregated cities and vulnerable groups, he highlights the importance...

“I’m a little bit shocked!” Tune in to hear about sexual abuse of power, an often-overlooked form of corruption. In this engaging episode, associate professor Silje Lundgren from the department of Thematic Studies talks about current research on sexual corruption as a threat against democratic procedure and bodily integrity. What is sexual abuse of power, where can we find it, and why has it not b...

Is the introduction of artificial intelligence and robots in the public sector an opportunity or a challenge for public values and for democracy? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy,  Daniel Toll , PhD student in information systems, talks about his field work in municipalities and his newly finished thesis on technologies in the frontline of digitalization in public service. What can we do to...

Who are the public servants, and what impact does their work have in our lives? Are they perhaps devoted and justservants of the people - guardians of democracy – or are they rather dishonest and arbitrary? Based on earlier research and on her own research on street-level bureaucracy, PhD student Helena Iacobaeus argues that reality is more complex than these two extremes, but that there are thing...

Are literature and culture important to democracy? Is the public library a book storage or a democratic living room - or is it perhaps a flexible resource as well as a room? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, I meet Johanna Vernqvist , associate professor in comparative literature, and we talk about the role of libraries and reading, partly based on her fascinating research at the library of...

All year round, democracy is repeatedly and discreetly upheld in local council meetings. But what happens if these meetings disappear as a physical place? Fredrik Garcia, PhD student in political science, is writing a thesis on city council meetings and shares results on effects that COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing had on local decision-making. This episode touches on big topics such as th...

Podcast anniversary! We celebrate by looking forward into the future. What we decide today and how we live our lives will also affect coming generations. Veronica Brodén Gyberg , associate professor at Linköping university, talks about sustainability and about her research on preconditions for just climate adaptation. The end of the cross-disciplinary project on just transition in Sweden mentioned...

In this episode of Aspects of Democracy,  Professor Claudia Tazreiter reflects on a fundamental right in modern democracy – freedom of speech. How can we safeguard this right and are there limits where freedom of speech might conflict with other rights? Based on her work in the Scholars at Risk network, an international network for protection of threatened scholars and promotion of academic freedo...

What is the meaning of citizenship and is this kind of “nation-state membership” still relevant in a global world? Dr.  Mariana S. Gustafsson , assistant professor in political science joins the podcast to talk about citizenship as a concept and about the individual citizen’s voice, choice and engagement in relation to the state. The poem Helena is spontaneously mistranslating in the episode is Ni...

Today’s episode focuses on trust. What makes us trust each other, and how can the level of trust in society affect democracy? Are there differences between age groups or between cities and rural areas in this aspect? Based on his research, Dr Richard Öhrvall , assistant professor at the Centre for Local Government Studies at LiU, talks about trust between people in local communities but also about...

How can democratic states cope with and recover from hardship like pandemics, unrest, and war? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, Professor Irina Kolupaieva joins us to reflect on resilience in times of crisis. With examples from her own research on digital resilience and democratization through public administration, she talks about how to work for resilient institutions and solutions in un...

Today we address the classic issue of education – what do you need to know in order to be an active citizen? Andreas Fejes , professor of adult education, talks about the importance of educated citizens, both at an individual level and for a lively democracy in general. With examples from research in folk high schools, municipal adult education and study associations, he connects education to the...

What is the role of the politician and who are suitable to fill that role? Except for voting, what more can we do as citizens to ensure that we get able, skilled, and compassionate politicians? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, Daniel Bladh , PhD student in education and adult learning, talks about elected representatives based on his research on political party schooling and learning in po...

Today’s episode brings up minority rights and minority voices in majority governance. What can minority rights mean and how have they been addressed in modern history and current research? Are they important to safeguard, and what happens if we don’t? To illustrate the relation and potential conflicts between majority rule and minority rights, associate professor Khalid Khayati takes us on a journ...

In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, we welcome back Dr Philippa Barnes, political scientist and policy analyst in foreign affairs, to talk about the concept of equity in public service provision. What does equity mean and why is it important for us as citizens? Based on earlier research, she also reflects on why it is a valuable aspect of a trust-worthy and sustainable democracy. Tune in to h...

This podcast episode brings up digital inclusion of citizens as a key aspect of modern democracy. In more and more digitalised states, where public services turn to e-services, citizens need new skills and access to be able take part of public information and public services. Our guest, PhD student Ahmed Kaharevic , is currently writing a thesis on digital inclusion and participation. Today, he is...

How do we know what to expect from the government? If we don’t know, how does that influence our views on the legitimacy of democracy and affect our behaviour towards others? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, Professor Elin Wihlborg talks about the importance of accountability and transparency in governance. Elin is professor in political science with a broad background from welfare and dem...