University of Gothenburg
Governance
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Governance

Research group
Active research
Project period
2000 - ongoing
Project owner
Institutionen för Sociologi och arbetsvetenskap
Area
Society and economy
Topic
Sociology Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)

Short description

How are societies, organisations and individuals governed? Broadly speaking, this is the bedrock issue of sociological research in the field of governance. More specifically, this research may deal with overarching issues related to global processes and how the welfare state is organised at the national level, for example in order to determine the influence of politics, the market, civil society and experts. But it may also have to do with how organisations are governed and how we as individuals are encouraged or ordered to act in the preferred manner.

A number of ongoing and completed research projects at the department are related to this field of research, focusing on issues such as: 

  • How global governance processes work in national and local contexts. This includes research on power relations in international aid to civil society in the global South, on the relationship between global climate policy and the environmental movement, and on global patterns of market governance of cities. 
  • How traditional welfare areas are affected by the introduction of “New Public Management” but also “post-NPM”-influenced forms of governance and the introduction of market-like solutions - e.g. in schools, labor market measures or housing for the homeless. 
  • How new forms of governance and self-regulation are created in different markets to maintain trust or create conditions for sustainable development, and how companies and consumers are thereby given greater responsibility for achieving these goals. 
  • How the activities of organizations and professions are governed with the help of target and monitoring systems, science and evidence-based knowledge reviews, and normative standards - e.g. in the police and schools, healthcare, personnel work or the exercise of authority. 
  • How individuals are governed within organizations, as well as expressions of self-governance, self-regulation and accountability of subjects. 

Published books on the topic

Examples of joint books produced within the framework of this research direction at the department are Transforming Subjectivities: Studies in Human Malleability in Contemprary Times (Routledge 2023), Scientific Citizenship (Studentlitteratur 2019), Transformations of the Swedish Welfare State - From Social Engineering to Governance? (Palgrave Macmillan 2012), and Social Control - Surveillance, Disciplining and Self-Regulation (Liber 2011).  

Research seminars

The department has a seminar series entitled “Governance” where researchers are given the opportunity to present current research and theoretical perspectives in the field. 

Contact: Professor Kerstin Jacobsson (kerstin.jacobsson@gu.se) 

Researchers

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