Sector In Sweden Research Articles

Housing as an Arena for Change – From Eco-Efficiency to Sufficiency in the Swedish Housing Sector

ABSTRACT The housing sector in Sweden, as elsewhere, faces major transitions to meet far-reaching sustainability targets. Eco-efficiency has tended to dominate the sustainability discourse, with a reliance on incremental improvements. This paper explores what is needed to reach a system-level framing of sustainability transformations in housing and home-related structures and practices. Based on previous research and empirical insights from workshops with diverse actors in the Swedish housing sector, we explore different narratives of what needs to change and perspectives on agency and collective action. Shifting the narrative from efficiency to sufficiency, and from a focus on technology and behaviour to complex interactions between actors and systems, offers opportunities as well as tensions in the sector. While the current paradigm offers limited space for action, the emergence of perspectives, policies, and practices concerning, for example, living smaller, simpler, and sharing posits the housing sector as an arena for socio-ecological transformations.

Two Contradictions and the Shape of Public Housing to Come. A Review of the Current State of the Municipal Public Housing Sector in Sweden

Two Contradictions and the Shape of Public Housing to Come. A Review of the Current State of the Municipal Public Housing Sector in Sweden

Potential and goal conflicts in reverse auction design for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is considered as a future key technology to provide baseload electricity, heat, pulp, paper, and biofuels, while also enabling atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Sweden seeks to lead the way in bringing this technology up to scale, introducing a EUR 3.6 billion reverse auction scheme to facilitate market entry of companies producing BECCS. We explore instrument design preferences among politicians, regulators, and prospective BECCS operators to identify trade-offs and explore feasible policy design. Based on 35 interviews with experts in the latent BECCS sector in Sweden, we identify under which circumstances prospective operators would be willing to place bids and discuss how actor preferences both align with and challenge auction theory. The analysis concludes that at least four dilemmas need attention. These concerns how to: (1) balance the state’s demand for BECCS to be implemented already in 2030 against the prospective BECCS operators’ fear of the winner’s curse, i.e., a fear of bidding for a contract that turns out to be too costly to implement; (2) allocate contracts at the margin of the auctioneer’s demand for BECCS without driving up costs; (3) design compliance mechanism to achieve effectiveness without undermining efficiency, and; 4) integrate the auction with the voluntary carbon market—if at all—in a manner that safeguards the environmental integrity of the auctions.

Environmental footprints of the data center service sector in Sweden

The global data center (DC) sector has expanded rapidly during the last decades, due to the rising demand for digital services. In the Nordic region, Sweden has emerged as a global hub, attracting leading technology companies like Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google. Server halls of DCs are energy intensive buildings, which puts pressure on local water resources and contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. This study aims to, firstly, quantify the environmental impact of DCs, based on energy usage, water consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Secondly, it develops a planning tool by employing a multi-criteria approach to optimally locate new DCs and to assess the site suitability of existing ones in Sweden. Data of various performance indicators (geographical data on renewable energy accessibility, free cooling conditions, excess heat receivers, and resilience to water shortages) of DCs was collected through different means, e.g., questionnaire surveys, permit applications, company websites, and other open online data repositories. ArcGIS Pro was employed for spatial analysis, and 68 DCs with a site suitability index (SSI) ≤ 45 % were identified as less ideally located. The principal findings are centered on Sweden, and thereby primarily benefit stakeholders engaged in decision-making for evaluating existing or strategic planning of new DCs by incorporating a comprehensive environmental perspective. Given the rapidly changing climate, strategically siting DCs will become crucial for minimizing the sector's environmental impact.

Pro-Environmental Transformation of the Equine Sector-Facilitators and Challenges.

To improve horse welfare and ensure a sustainable equestrian future, we need to understand human behavior in relation to the challenges of the sector. The purpose of this paper is to map and analyze how individuals within the equine sector in Sweden and Norway define the environmental challenges they are faced with and how these are related to questions about horse welfare. A mixed-methods parallel design was used. The data consist of survey answers and semi-structured interviews. The survey, responded to by 697 Swedish and Norwegian participants, ensured statistical validity and power through a sample size calculation yielding approximately 385 participants. To deepen the understanding, 36 semi structured interviews with Swedish and Norwegian interviewees were conducted. An analysis of convergencies and divergencies between the data sets provided robust insights into the perceptions and behaviors within the equine sector in Sweden and Norway. The findings show that the equine sector has cultivated a stronger environmental commitment over the last 15 years (Svala, 2008). However, many participants express a perceived lack of influence on this transformation. The COM-B model (Michie, Van Stralen & West, 2011; Michie, Atkins & West, 2014) and previous research on 'thinking structures on climate delay' (Wormbs & Wolrath, 2023) are used to interpret the data. The analysis indicates that there is an overall capacity for change, and that skills and knowledge exist, but some individuals desire more information and a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. Higher barriers to change were found in the opportunity component, where physical constraints such as location, resources, and time seem challenging for individual actors to influence. Economic factors are also identified as impediments to transformation. Cultural norms related to orderliness within stables, although not directly addressing ecological nor ethical challenges, might serve as a foundation for promoting environmental initiatives that will also improve horse welfare.

Navigating uncertainty: exploring electricity demand dynamics in Swedish industrial sectors amid global shocks and instability

This study aims to provide insights into the factors shaping electricity demand in Swedish industrial sectors using the nonlinear version of the autoregressive distributed lag model (NARDL). This approach captures the complex short- and long-run relationships between uncertainty and electric power use in Swedish industrial sectors. The results reveal sector-specific responses to uncertainties and asymmetries in electricity use patterns. By examining the entire industrial sector in Sweden, this approach uncovers underlying issues and hidden patterns, while also providing insights into the functioning and behaviour of industrial systems. The rapid electrification and new green industrialisation initiatives in Sweden, coupled with the integration of a circular economy, underscore the importance of understanding the dynamics of electricity use in the face of uncertain shocks. This knowledge is vital for ensuring, amongst other things, grid stability, mitigating the need for costly peaking capacity, and identifying potential challenges in the interconnection of energy and material circular flows.

Managerś attitudes towards common mental health problems differ across sectors: a Swedish study

Abstract Background The stigma around common mental health problems (CMHP) is a problem both in the society and in working life. Workplaces are characterized by prevailing norms and values, with impact on their employees’ attitudes. Population-based studies show highly educated and females to stigmatize CMPH less than others. Still, we lack knowledge if attitudes towards CMHP differ across work sectors. Our aim was to investigate if attitudes to CMHP of managers differ between blue, white and pink collar work sectors. Methods A version of the MSED scale, measuring managers’ stigma to employees with CMHP, was answered by Swedish managers (n = 2710) in the private sector in a web-survey in 2021. The participants were grouped into blue collar sector (working with things), white collar sector (working with symbols), pink collar sector (working with people) and others, based on industry affiliation. Multivariable logistic regression was used for calculating probabilities (ORs with 95% CI) for negative attitudes towards CMHP among white, pink and others using blue sector as reference category, adjusted for several organizational and individual factors. Results Compared to managers in the blue sector, managers in other sectors were less likely to have negative attitudes towards CMHP. For managers in the white sector the OR was 0.71 (CI 0.56-0.91), in the pink sector the OR was 0.76 (CI 0.58-0.99) and for managers in the other sector the OR was 0.64 (CI 0.47-0.86). Discussions The result confirmed that managers in the blue sector, which is characterized by more male employees and a lower educational level, were more likely to report stigmatizing attitudes to CMHP. Interventions to decrease stigma in workplaces need to be tailored differently depending on work sector. Key messages • Managers working in the private blue-collar sector in Sweden report a more negative attitude towards mental health problems than managers in other private sectors. • The private blue-collar sector needs more awareness regarding reducing stigma around mental health problems than other private sectors.

Provisions regarding organizational and social work environment and future sickness absence in Sweden

Abstract Background Sickness absence is high among healthcare employees in many European countries, including Sweden. In addition to physical workload, the importance of psychosocial work factors for this is emphasized. To promote a good psychosocial work environment, provisions on organisational and social work environment, mandatory to all work sectors, was launched in 2016 in Sweden. We compared sickness absence (SA) due to mental diagnoses two years before and two years after these provisions were introduced, among healthcare employees, employed by the municipality, the region, or private organisations. Methods Register microdata were used for analyses of all employees in the healthcare sector in Sweden in 2014 (N = 260,709) and in 2018 (N = 277,901). The odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of new SA (in SA spells >14 days) and of long-term SA (>90 days) with a mental diagnosis in 2018 compared to 2014 were calculated, using logistic regression. Results The ORs of new SA and long-term SA with mental diagnoses among healthcare employees were somewhat higher in 2018 than in 2014 (OR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.11-1.17), (OR = 1.12; 1.07-1.17). The OR for the private sector for a new SA spell was 1.11; 1.02-1.19, and for the regional sector, OR 1.05; 1.01-1.08. The highest probability of long-term SA with mental diagnoses in 2018 compared to 2014 was found among employees in the municipal sector, OR 1.33, CI; 1.11-1.61, and in the private sector, OR 1.15, CI; 1.03-1.29. Discussion The mandatory provisions aim to promote good work environment and prevent risks of ill health due to organisational and social conditions at work. We observed a somewhat higher probability of SA with mental diagnoses two years after the provisions were introduced. SA due to mental diagnoses is influenced by many factors of which psychosocial work environment is only one part and maybe longer follow-ups are needed. Key messages • Sickness absence due to mental diagnoses among healthcare employees was somewhat higher two years after the introduction of an organisational and social work environment provision. • Many factors influence sickness absence with mental diagnoses; other factors and longer follow-ups are needed to gain knowledge on possible effects of the work environment provision.

Appearance between professionalism and work-related stress among marketing employees.

Appearance and body language are key components of non-verbal communication and play an important role in the service and marketing sector. The aim was to explore experiences and perceptions of appearance issues related to work among employees in the marketing sector in Sweden. Interviews were conducted with 15 marketing and communication employees (five males, ten females), at multinational companies and a university. Thematic analyses were conducted, and content was organised in two themes with sub-themes: 1. Appearance from a resource perspective (Appearance benefits; Physical activity resources; Age benefits). 2. Appearance from a demand perspective (Adaptation to gender roles; Investment in appearance; Adaptation to situation and culture). The findings showed that appearance was perceived as a resource for professionalism, work engagement and career in various ways. Appearance-related issues were not considered on organisational work level, but employees perceived unspoken demands to look good and appropriate to represent the company brand. The employees spent a considerable amount of time, money, and effort on appearance. Appearance creates dualistic questions and points out several dilemmas that the individual struggle to solve, which creates stress in work. The character of unspoken demands on appearance and absent communication on organisational level make the stress-coping strategies complicated and the stress coping is mostly left for the individual to handle. A gender difference shows that compared to men, women more often experience negative stress generated by appearance-related issues in work. Education and actions at the managerial level of companies are needed.

The well-being of young leaders: demands and resources from a lifespan perspective.

Building on the job demand resources (JD-R) model, we examined the experience of work environment and well-being among young leaders in a two-wave survey study of 1,033 leaders within the private sector in Sweden. Our results reveal that young leaders report higher levels of burnout and lower rates of vigor compared to older colleagues. Further, they appraise demand and resources differently, perceiving higher emotional demands and less organizational support, and they seem to struggle with the leader role, seeing it as unclear and conflicting. Our findings underline the necessity of viewing the leader role from a lifespan perspective as well as considering age-specific aspects in the JD-R model. In practice, we urge organizations to improve prerequisites for young leaders by providing support and role clarifications to prevent impaired well-being and improve retention. By bringing leadership and lifespan studies together, we aim for a better understanding of what specific prerequisites young leaders need to thrive in the leader role thus showing how age matters and bring the field of research forward.

Creating Value Out of Waste: The Transformation of the Swedish Waste and Recycling Sector, 1970s–2010s

This article examines the growth of the waste and recycling sector in Sweden since the 1970s and seeks to identify the conditions for market growth and underlying business dynamics. The article identifies a slow growth pattern at aggregate level in the 1970s, while a major shift toward higher growth rates took place only in the mid-1990s. Resembling the findings of existing studies of German and US industry counterparts, Swedish recycling companies grew larger in the 1970s and more knowledge-intensive from the 1980s. Our study concludes that the growth of the Swedish recycling industry has been driven not only by government policies addressing household waste but even more so by large manufacturing firms that have increasingly demanded more complex recycling services over time.

How are witnessed workplace bullying and bystander roles related to perceived care quality, work engagement, and turnover intentions in the healthcare sector? A longitudinal study

BackgroundWorkplace bullying is widespread in the healthcare sector and the negative effects are well known. However, less attention has been paid to bystanders who witness bullying in the workplace. Bystanders can affect the bullying process by engaging in active, passive, or destructive behaviors. There is a need to study work-related and organizational consequences of witnessing bullying and bystander behaviors. ObjectiveThe aim was to explore how witnessed workplace bullying and bystander behaviors are associated with work-related and organizational consequences, such as perceived quality of care, work engagement, and turnover intentions, among healthcare workers over time. DesignLongitudinal design. An online questionnaire was administered twice over the course of six months. Setting(s)Employees in the healthcare sector in Sweden, such as physicians, nurses, and assistant nurses, responded to the questionnaire. Participants1144 participants provided longitudinal data. MethodsStructural equation modeling was used to explore the associations between witnessed bullying, bystander behavior, work-related and organizational factors over time. ResultsWitnessed workplace bullying (B = −0.18, 95 % CI [−0.23 to −0.12]) and the bystander outsider role (B = −0.24, 95 % CI [−0.29 to −0.19]) were statistically significantly related to a decrease in perceived quality of care. Work engagement was statistically significantly predicted by all three bystander roles over time; positively by the defender role (B = 0.11, 95 % CI [0.05–0.17]), and negatively by the outsider role (B = −0.23, 95 % CI [−0.29 to −0.16]), and the assistant role (B = −0.32, 95 % CI [−0.41 to −0.24]). The outsider role (B = 0.12, 95 % CI [0.02–0.22]), the assistant role (B = 0.17, 95 % CI [0.03–0.30]), and witnessed workplace bullying (B = 0.18, 95 % CI [0.08–0.29]), all positively predicted increased turnover intentions at a subsequent time point. ConclusionsIn addition to the direct negative impact workplace bullying has on those targeted by it, witnessing bullying and taking different bystander roles can have work-related and organizational consequences by influencing perceived care quality, employees' work engagement, and their intention to leave the organization.

Regularized conditional estimators of unit inefficiency in stochastic frontier analysis, with application to electricity distribution market

In stochastic frontier analysis, the conventional estimation of unit inefficiency is based on the mean/mode of the inefficiency, conditioned on the composite error. It is known that the conditional mean of inefficiency shrinks towards the mean rather than towards the unit inefficiency. In this paper, we analytically prove that the conditional mode cannot accurately estimate unit inefficiency, either. We propose regularized estimators of unit inefficiency that restrict the unit inefficiency estimators to satisfy some a priori assumptions, and derive the closed form regularized conditional mode estimators for the three most commonly used inefficiency densities. Extensive simulations show that, under common empirical situations, e.g., regarding sample size and signal-to-noise ratio, the regularized estimators outperform the conventional (unregularized) estimators when the inefficiency is greater than its mean/mode. Based on real data from the electricity distribution sector in Sweden, we demonstrate that the conventional conditional estimators and our regularized conditional estimators provide substantially different results for highly inefficient companies.

The (in)visibility of sewage management and problematization as strategy for public awareness

Sewage management is crucial to the functioning of cities, yet, in the global North, seldom acknowledged in public. Wastewater infrastructures are mainly hidden underground and human excrement is considered a private matter. However, to make sanitation stay invisible, its dysfunctionality (e.g., leaking pipes, aging wastewater plants) is sometimes in acute need of being highlighted. Moreover, the work essential to keep the infrastructures maintained needs to be recognized and compensated for. Based on interviews with actors in the sewage management sector in Sweden, news articles, and public information campaigns, the present article explores how political action and public engagement are mobilized through moves between visibility and invisibility. The analysis focuses on four different modes of problematization: inproblematization, problematization, deproblematization, and unproblematization. Inscribed in the research fields of urban infrastructures and public engagement, the article sheds light on how the public secret of managing feces is upheld, through balancing acts such as creating discursive space, negotiating infrastructural disruptions, making problems treatable, and individualizing solutions. These different modes of problematization are crucial to achieving the right public attention and political measures.

When Nothing Happens: Understanding the Lack of Agency in Degrading Water Utility Systems (WITHDRAWN)

The water utility sector is usually perceived as a conservative sector. However, in times of major investment needs an opportunity to change the otherwise rigid infrastructure systems appears. The transition literature has gained extensive attention for studies on transitions of established socio-technical systems. In this research stream, the concept of the socio-technical regime, which constitutes the highly institutionalised formal and informal rules that control the system, plays a central role. In this paper, the regime is conceptualised as constituting of multiple sub-regimes, which are used to examine what is preventing the transition of a degrading socio-technical system. This is illustrated by a case study of the water utility sector in Sweden, which face significant needs to upgrade its infrastructure systems. The findings show that the key regime actors, i.e., the water utilities, are currently prevented from managing this situation. By studying the sub-regimes, lock-ins and possible responses to them are identified.

Becoming a public sector insider -A case study of Swedish digital healthcare start-ups´ entrepreneurial business formation processes

The aim of the study is to better understand start-ups' entrepreneurial business formation processes from a contextual perspective. We examine a digitalization process in the healthcare sector in Sweden, and investigate the start-up processes taking place in order to reach a better understanding of what it takes for new actors to obtain an insider position in this particular type of highly regulated networks. The study offers important insights into the dynamics of constituent elements in the process, including the sequences of events through which start-up processes evolve, and insights into new ventures' initial entry into a business network. It is concluded that the studied processes were interactive, forcing the start-ups to be both innovative and able to conform. It was also found that legitimacy constitute an important resource in this type of politically sensitive context.

Sustainable value creation – a farm case on business model innovation

The agricultural sector in Sweden, as elsewhere, is affected by increased intensification and specialisation, leading to fewer and larger farms. The majority of agricultural firms acquire profits by pushing an economies of scale strategy, which is not always possible for small farms. However, there are alternative strategies. This teaching case focuses on a small farm in Sweden and offers students an opportunity to study the management of business model innovation in this context. The case explores the value creation strategy of a cattle farm and applies activities such as mapping a business model, developing suggestions for business model innovation, analysing existing and lacking managerial competences and pinpointing implications for agricultural policy. As a result, profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of the study farm should be achieved, together with acquisition of knowledge and skills by its owner. This educational case is suitable for agricultural students of different levels requiring knowledge of business and management.

The influence of inputs in the information security policy development: an institutional perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate what role literature-based inputs have on the information security policy (ISP) development in practice.Design/methodology/approachA literature review is carried out to identify commonly used inputs for ISP development in theory firstly. Secondly, through the lens of institutional theory, an interpretive approach is adapted to study the influence of literature-based inputs in the ISP development in practice. Semi-structured interviews with senior experienced information security officers and managers from the public sector in Sweden are carried out for this research.FindingsAccording to the literature review, 10 inputs for ISP development have been identified. The results from the interviews indicate that the role inputs have on the ISP development serves as more than a rational tool, where organisational context, institutional pressures and the search for legitimacy play an important role.Research limitations/implicationsFrom the institutional perspective, this study signifies the influence of inputs on ISP development can be derived from institutionalised rules or practices established by higher authorities; actions and practices that are perceived as successful and often used by other organisations; the beliefs of what is viewed as appropriate to meet the specific pressures from stakeholders.Practical implicationsThis research recommends five practical implications for practitioners working with the ISP development. These recommendations aim to create an understanding of how an ISP could be developed, considering more than the rational functionalist perspective.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first of its kind in examining the role of literature-based inputs in ISP development in practice through the lens of institutional theory.

Language for work and work for language: linguistic aspirations in the marketing of domestic work

Abstract Language inevitably plays a key part in the infrastructure of transnational domestic work. Many who work and have worked in the domestic sector in Sweden have Swedish as their second language. The object of this study is to investigate the ways in which this fact is reflected in the marketing of domestic work historically as well as currently. Drawing on two datasets – personal advertisements by job seekers published in a Swedish daily during the twentieth century, and corporate marketing by contemporary cleaning agencies – the study discusses how references not only to language competence, but also to prospective language learning are used in the marketing of domestic work. While the phenomenon of domestic work, especially when performed by migrants, has been a resilient space of upset in the Swedish society for the last hundred years, the article argues that references to language are used to navigate tensions.

Factors influencing the behavior of bystanders to workplace bullying in healthcare-A qualitative descriptive interview study.

Workplace bullying is a severe problem that affects individuals, organizations, and society. Although there is a growing research interest in bystanders of workplace bullying, the rationale underlying bystanders' behavior in healthcare settings requires further investigation. The aim of the current study is to explore factors that influence the behavior of bystanders to workplace bullying in the healthcare sector. Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted with 32 staff members in the healthcare sector in Sweden. Data were collected between March 2019 and September 2020 and were analyzed with thematic analysis. The participants experienced that bystanders of bullying, both colleagues and managers, were in many situations acting in a passive way. Organizational factors such as dysfunctional organizational culture and deficiencies in management affected how actively the bystanders could intervene. Additionally, a fear of negative consequences, lack of awareness of what was going on, bullying behavior being excused, and the bystander not being a member of the dominant group were social factors contributing to bystanders' passive behavior. For bystander intervention to be successful, the organization must consider bullying as a serious issue, take action, and show support for both the target and the bystander.