Swedish Sector Research Articles

Safety and health among undeclared workers: A mixed methods study investigating social partner experiences and strategies

Little is known about the experiences of the social partners in helping undeclared workers resist Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues. This study draws upon Walter Korpi’s ‘power resource theory’ to gain a deeper understanding of how power resources within the construction, transport, and cleaning sectors influence the ability of social partners to respond to OSH issues related to undeclared work.This mixed-method study uses survey data from employer representatives in the construction (n = 686) and transport (n = 650) sectors in Sweden in 2019 to estimate the nature and magnitude of undeclared work-related problems. To also study the view of union representatives, a duplicate survey was sent to union representatives in the transport, construction, and cleaning sectors (n = 57) in 2020, followed by 13 semi-structured interviews with Regional Safety Representatives (RSRs) in 2021–2023. Our findings show that employer representatives in construction and transport reported that the violation of OSH regulations was uncommon and remained unchanged, most union representatives said the opposite. We found a gradient of activism among the unions towards OSH issues related to undeclared work dependent on their power resources. Furthermore, structural and organizational factors limited the RSRs’ ability to address undeclared work. The RSRs identified strategies to tackle OSH issues related to undeclared work in their sectors, these included but were not limited to, dismantling the language barrier between unions and undeclared foreign-born workers, for OSH coordinators and main contractors to be held responsible for OSH violations and greater cooperation between the relevant authorities dealing with undeclared work.

Evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity consumption patterns in the residential, public, commercial and industrial sectors in Sweden

The COVID-19 pandemic has had drastic effects on societies around the world. Due to restrictions or recommendations, companies, industries and residents experienced changes in their routines and many people shifted to working from home. This led to alterations in electricity consumption between sectors and changes in daily patterns. Understanding how various properties and features of load patterns in the electricity network were affected is important for forecasting the network's ability to respond to sudden changes and shocks, and helping system operators improve network management and operation. In this study, we quantify the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has led to shifts in the electricity consumption patterns of different sectors in Sweden. The results show that working from home during the pandemic has led to an increase in the residential sector's total consumption and changes in its consumption patterns, whereas there were only slight decreases in the industrial sector and relatively few changes in the public and commercial sectors. We discuss the reasons for these changes, the effects that these changes will have on expected future electricity consumption patterns, as well as the effects on potential demand flexibility in a future where working from home has become the new norm.

Who is most at risk of losing out from low-carbon transition in the food and transport sectors in Sweden? Equity considerations from a consumption perspective

The low-carbon transition requires policies and behaviour changes that affect people's consumption habits. However, the impacts of the transition are likely to be experienced unevenly by consumers. Failing to account for these differences puts at risk the prospects of a just transition. This paper investigates the demand-side aspects of a just low-carbon transition, with a focus on the transport and food sectors in Sweden. It combines footprint analysis and sociodemographic and geographic analysis with an assessment of the distributional impacts of low-carbon transition policies from the perspectives of wealth, access, and health. The study finds variations in carbon footprint categories between those with higher or lower income and living in higher or lower density areas. It also finds varying degrees of ability to cope with the required shifts in the food and transport sectors. About 40 % of the Swedish population appears to be at higher risk from the adverse impacts on wealth and access related to policies aiming at low-carbon transition, because this cohort depends heavily on cars and is less able to cope with the increased price of carbon-intensive goods that these policies are expected to entail. The study also finds that, collectively, those most at risk of losing are responsible for 41 % of consumption-based emissions. The paper goes on to discuss implications for low-carbon transition policy measures and transitional assistance policy. Overall, it highlights the need for targeted, well-planned policies for emissions reductions and transitional assistance to support a fair low-carbon transition for all.

Cycles of labour protests: public and private sector unions' contentious actions

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the cycle of labour protests in Sweden, comparing the contentious actions of trade unions in public and private sectors over 40 years. Prior studies have focused on industrial conflicts or labour protests, but a long-term perspective on the broad protest repertoire across sectors is lacking. The goal is to test the argument of diversification of action repertoire and differences between the public and private sectors.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply the grievance and political opportunity theories of social movement research for explaining the cycles of labour protests and differences between sectors in Sweden over 40 years (1980–2020). The unique protest event data are combined with the official strike statistics. The research period includes the globalisation of the economy and two economic crises.FindingsAlthough unions in both sectors have decreased protest mobilisation over time, private sector unions have resigned the most, whereas public sector unions continue to mobilise a diverse set of protest actions. Swedish unions have not replaced strikes with other protest repertoires. The open opportunities have allowed them to use various protests as part of “routine” operations.Research limitations/implicationsProtest event data are derived from newspapers, leading to an over-representation of large events in the urban areas. Future studies should combine data from newspapers with data about online protests.Originality/valueBy thoroughly examining all protest events mobilised by all trade unions in different sectors over 40 years (1980–2020), the paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the cycles of labour protest. The findings should interest industrial relations and social movement scholars.

Bringing risk back in: managers' prioritization of the work environment during the pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to investigate managers' experiences of managing work environment and risks during the Covid-19 pandemic and to explore how managers might use these experiences to develop future risk management.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 Swedish managers at different hierarchical levels working in 11 different organizations. A directed content analysis was carried out, informed by theory on risk management.FindingsThe results point to the pandemic as a societal crisis which workplaces needed to manage through large means of improvisation. Regular work environment routines were put to the test, and several deficiencies in the work environment and risk management were identified. Organizations that handle occupational safety and risks on a daily basis through established routines were less affected and could easier adjust work environment and risk management, compared to organizations prioritizing the social and organizational work environment, which had to re-prioritize and start paying more attention to the physical work environment and to bring risk management into their daily routines.Originality/valueThe study offers an account of how managers in different labor market sectors in Sweden have acted in the midst of the pandemic by handling real-time crises, how these experiences can be used for engaging in retrospective learning and how this may imply changes to their prospective risk management.

Job demands, job resources, and health outcomes among nursing professionals in private and public healthcare sectors in Sweden – a prospective study

BackgroundNursing professionals exhibit high prevalence of stress-related health problems. Job demands and job resources are parallel drivers of health and well-being among employees. Better job resources associate with better job satisfaction, job motivation and engagement even when job demands are high. To date, there is limited research which explores the association between job demands, job resources and health outcomes among nursing professionals in the Swedish context. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate Swedish nursing professionals’ job demands and job resources in relation to health outcomes, with comparisons between the private and public healthcare sectors. The specific research questions were as follows: (1) Are there differences between private and public healthcare regarding job demands, job resources, and health outcomes? and (2) Are there prospective associations between job demands and job resources in relation to health outcomes?MethodsData were drawn from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) 2016 and 2018, including 520 nurses and 544 assistant nurses working in the private and public healthcare sectors from 2016 (baseline). Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression.ResultsNursing professionals reported higher threats, lower bullying, lower control, lower social support, and lower cohesion in the public healthcare units compared to the private healthcare units. The prospective analyses showed that job resources in terms of social support and rewards were associated with higher self-rated health and lower burnout. Cohesion was associated with higher self-rated health. Job demands in terms of psychological demands and job efforts were associated with lower self-rated health, higher burnout, and higher sickness absence, while emotional demands were associated with higher burnout.ConclusionsNursing professionals’ job resources are deficient in public healthcare units. Job resources are associated with positive health outcomes, whereas job demands are associated with negative health outcomes, among nursing professionals. Strengthening job resources among nursing professionals in the private and public healthcare sectors can promote and sustain their work-related health.

Do Firm Support Increase Investments? Evidence from the Aquaculture and Fish Processing Sectors in Sweden

AbstractThe European Union provides firm support to the maritime sector to reach the policy objectives in the Common Fisheries Policy. This paper analyzes to what extent the investment support to aquaculture and fish processing firms in Sweden increases firm investment activity. By doing so, the paper also quantifies the amount of investments that would have been undertaken also without support (deadweight losses, DWL). The results show that the support increases investment in aquaculture with a factor of 0.65, thus with a DWL of 35%. The corresponding number for fish processing is a DWL of 77%.

Governance and interdependencies of critical infrastructures: Exploring mechanisms for cross-sector resilience

Much contemporary critical infrastructure research has been devoted to studies of the effects of risks stemming from interdependencies between critical infrastructures, here referred to asinterdependency-related risks. However, this research has placed limited emphasis on infrastructure actors’ efforts to manage such risks in practice, and it remains unclear to what extent and how critical infrastructure actors work to increase resilience related to interdependency-related risks. This paper explores mechanisms for addressing interdependency-related risks across three critical national infrastructure sectors in Sweden: transportation, energy and telecommunication. The paper combines a document study and an interview study, and nine mechanisms are identified: (1) Swedish critical infrastructures are subject to clear silo-structures, (2) dedicated individuals and personal relationships are central to existing cross-sector collaborations, (3) information-sharing occurs between sectors, including exchange of sensitive information, but is mainly based on trust or mutual information-needs, (4) while interdependencies are acknowledged, explicit and adequate methods and protocols for how to assess and manage interdependency-related risks seem to be scarce, (5) clear risk ownership, and a connection to physical interdependencies and the core business seems to influence the level of cross-sector engagement, (6) governance of interdependency-related risks is mostly reactive and heavily influenced by past events, (7) compliance have a potential for sparking collaboration, and finally, (8) customer demands in particular, and (9) economic factors in general, play an important role for incentivising cross-sector collaboration. Finally, the paper extensively discusses the implications of these findings and outlines the potential for future research directions to improve cross-sector resilience.

The Rebound Effect in Energy-Intensive Industries:A Factor Demand Model with Asymmetric Price Response

The purpose of this paper is to estimate industry-specific direct rebound effects and to relate these effects to industry energy efficiency programs. The rebound effect represents economic behavior that will offset energy savings from energy efficiency improvements. The paper focuses on four energy intense sectors in Sweden; pulp and paper, iron and steel, chemical, and mining, during 2001-2012. We apply a factor demand model that allows for asymmetric energy price responses, i.e. that firms respond differently to increasing and decreasing energy prices. The results show considerable rebound effects. For electricity and non-fossil fuels, efficiency improvements could even ‘backfire’. To mitigate this effect, policies, such as voluntary energy efficiency programs, should be combined with an increase in energy taxes if the ambition is to reduce overall energy use.

Effects of winter climate on delays of high speed passenger trains in Botnia-Atlantica region

Harsh winter climate can cause various problems for both public and private sectors in Sweden, especially in the northern part for railway industry. To have a better understanding of winter climate impacts, this study investigates effects of the winter climate including ice/snow precipitation on the performance of high speed passenger trains in the Botnia-Atlantica region. The investigation is done with train operational data together with simulated weather data from the Weather Research and Forecast model over January–February 2017.Two different measurements of the train performance are analysed. One is primary delay which measures the increment in delay in terms of running time within two consecutive measuring spots, the other is arrival delay which is the delay in terms of arrival time at each measuring spot compared to the schedule. Primary delay is investigated through a Cox model and the arrival delay is studied using a Markov chain model.The results show that the weather variables have impacts on the train performance. Therein temperature and humidity have significant impacts on both the occurrence of primary delay and the transition intensities between arrival delay and non-delay.

Spatial production structure and input choices of forest products in Sweden

A spatially analyse of the production structure and input choices for the heating, sawmill, and pulp sectors in Sweden is conducted using a panel data set includes quarterly data for period 2011 to 2016 across 21 counties. Focus is on price and input substitution elasticities, scale effects and technical change measures. A single-output regional translog cost models is developed and estimated. The translog specification is chosen for its flexibility and for the range of alternative hypotheses that can be tested. The results indicate relative elastic price elasticities, limited possibilities to exploit scale effects to future reduce the variable production costs, technical restriction in input substitution options, and mature production technologies that still need to be invested in to reduce technical deterioration over time. The results are usable for practitioners, policy and decision-makers as well as inputs in future academic modelling, especially when assessing the paths towards a biobased economy.

Overarching policy framework for product life extension in a circular economy—A bottom‐up business perspective

AbstractPublic policy has a critical role to play in supporting business actors towards their transition to more sustainable and less resource‐intensive practices within the context of a Circular Economy (CE). The European Union (EU) CE Action Plan sets a special focus on the role of business in adopting and promoting circular economic principles in their operations, and thus leading the transition towards CE. Companies need to design and adopt innovative business models that enable the capture of residual value in products. Product life extension strategies, such as re‐use, hold the highest potential to retain the materials and energy embedded in products. However, companies that adopt such business practices face multiple barriers deriving from the present socio‐economic conditions and find themselves in need of direct policy interventions to be able to compete with incumbent firms. This contribution identifies supporting interventions that could enable companies engaging in product life extension to scale up and lead the transition to a CE. Empirical evidence was gathered from such companies in five economic sectors in Sweden through questionnaires. Based on the results, an overarching policy framework is proposed, including wide cross‐sectoral policy measures, such as (1) public procurement, (2) increased provision and access to information and (3) government leadership, setting mandatory re‐use targets.

The resilience of social rental housing in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark. How institutions matter

This paper evaluates the resilience of social rental housing in the UK, Sweden and Denmark. Throughout the OECD, processes of retrenchment and privatization, alongside the growth of the owner-occupied and private rental sectors, have led to nigh universal declines in the size and scope of social rental housing. These processes have not transpired evenly, however. Embracing a historical institutionalist approach, alongside novel data and methodology, this paper assesses the variegated patterns of sectoral decline and resilience in these three northern European countries. We find the Danish, association-based model - with its polycentric governance and multi-level system of financing - to have been the most robustly resilient hitherto. In the UK and Sweden, we observe patterns of decline and evidence that the non-profit and needs-based principles which traditionally underpinned these systems have reached precarious thresholds. Nevertheless, despite manifold retrograde threats and vulnerabilities over the past decades, the social rental sectors in Sweden and the UK have proved surprisingly resilient.

Bioenergy production and utilization in different sectors in Sweden: A state of the art review

In the continual desire to reduce the environmental footprints of human activities, research efforts to provide cleaner energy is increasingly becoming vital. The effect of climate change on present and future existence, sustainable processes, and utilizations of renewable resources have been active topics within international discourse. In order to reduce the greenhouse gases emissions from traditional materials and processes, there has been a shift to more environmental friendly alternatives. The conversion of biomass to bioenergy, including biofuels has been considered to contribute to the future of climate change mitigation, although there are concerns about carbon balance from forest utilization. Bioenergy accounts for more than one-third of all energy used in Sweden and biomass has provided about 60% of the fuel for district heating. Apart from heat and electricity supply, the transport sector, with about 30% of global energy use, has a significant role in a sustainable bioenergy system. This review presents the state of the art in the Swedish bioenergy sector based on literature and Swedish Energy Agency’s current statistics. The review also discusses the overall bioenergy production and utilization in different sectors in Sweden. The current potential, challenges, and environmental considerations of bioenergy production are also discussed.

IT service outage cost: case study and implications for cyber insurance

Today, almost all enterprises are highly dependent on IT services. Thus, high availability IT services and the cost of downtime have received a lot of attention in recent years. One increasingly used tool for cyber risk management and transfer is cyber insurance, which typically offers some form of business interruption coverage. However, cost structures of IT service outages are still poorly understood, as costs are often just reported as lump sums. This article contributes a multiple case study of IT service outage cost in three sectors in Sweden: transport companies (\(N=11\)), food companies (\(N=9\)) and government agencies (\(N=19\)). The contribution is three-fold: (i) the measurement instrument itself, (ii) the insights into different cost structures gained, and (iii) the implications of different cost structures on availability investment strategies. Whereas some enterprises incur only a fixed outage cost, some incur (almost) only lost productivity or almost only lost revenue. In the public sector, lost revenue is often negligible. The results are further contextualised by a discussion of cyber insurance implications.

University spin-offs and triple helix dynamics in regional innovation ecosystems: a comparison of technology intensive start-ups in Sweden

This study offers novel insights into how university spin-offs contribute to triple helix dynamics and the evolutionary processes of industrial renewal in regional innovation ecosystems. We analyse three groups of technology intensive start-ups: university spin-offs, corporate spin-offs, and independent technology start-ups. We compare and analyse various characteristics, functions, and processes among the three groups using primary data from a questionnaire survey conducted at 341 young firms operating in two technology intensive sectors in Sweden. Our findings suggest that university spin-offs differ from the other two groups with respect to their contribution to triple helix dynamics in regional innovation ecosystems. University spin-offs cooperate more closely with universities, conduct more in-house R&D, purchase more R&D services, and offer more innovative products/services in the introduction stage of their industry life cycles.

University spin-offs and triple helix dynamics in regional innovation ecosystems: a comparison of technology intensive start-ups in Sweden

This study offers novel insights into how university spin-offs contribute to triple helix dynamics and the evolutionary processes of industrial renewal in regional innovation ecosystems. We analyse three groups of technology intensive start-ups: university spin-offs, corporate spin-offs, and independent technology start-ups. We compare and analyse various characteristics, functions, and processes among the three groups using primary data from a questionnaire survey conducted at 341 young firms operating in two technology intensive sectors in Sweden. Our findings suggest that university spin-offs differ from the other two groups with respect to their contribution to triple helix dynamics in regional innovation ecosystems. University spin-offs cooperate more closely with universities, conduct more in-house R&D, purchase more R&D services, and offer more innovative products/services in the introduction stage of their industry life cycles.

The Rebound Effect in Swedish Heavy Industry

Energy efficiency improvement (EEI) benefits the climate and matters for energy security. The potential emission and energy savings due to EEI may however not fully materialize due to the rebound effect. In this study, we measure the size of the rebound effect for fuel and electricity within the four most energy intensive sectors in Sweden: pulp and paper, basic iron and steel, chemical, and mining. We use a detailed firm-level panel data set for 2000–2008 and apply Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) for measuring the rebound effect. We find that neither fuel nor electricity rebound effects fully offset the potential energy and emission savings. Among the determinants, we find CO2 intensity and fuel/electricity share to be useful indicators for identifying firms with higher or lower rebound effect within each sector.

THE SUSTAINABLE BRAND EQUITY MODEL. A RETAIL STUDY MEASURING SUSTAINABLE BRAND EQUITY

THE SUSTAINABLE BRAND EQUITY MODEL. A RETAIL STUDY MEASURING SUSTAINABLE BRAND EQUITY

The Rebound Effect in Swedish Heavy Industry

Energy efficiency improvement (EEI) benefits the climate and matters for energy security. The potential emission and energy savings due to EEI may however not fully materialize due to the rebound effect. In this study, we measure the size of rebound effect for the two energy types fuel and electricity within the four most energy intensive sectors in Sweden – pulp and paper, basic iron and steel, chemical, and mining. We use a detailed firm-level panel data set for the period 2000-2008 and apply Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) for measuring the rebound effect. We find that both fuel and electricity rebound effects do not fully offset the potential for energy and emission savings. Furthermore, we find 2 CO intensity and fuel and electricity share as the two main determinants of rebound effect in Swedish heavy industry. Our results seems to imply that it matters both to what extent and where to promote EEI, as the rebound effect varies between sectors as well as between firms within sectors.