Department of Political Science, Lund University

19/10/2026

What happens when public organisations bring digital expertise in-house?

A new study by Mats Fred and Alexander Paulsson suggests that digitalisation changes more than technology. As organisations develop their own digital services, they also introduce new professions, new expertise and new ways of understanding problems and solutions.

Studying Swedish public transport authorities, the researchers found that digital transformation can influence what organisations value, how decisions are justified and which ideas gain legitimacy.

This matters far beyond public transport. As digitalisation becomes an increasingly important part of public-sector organisations, values such as user-centredness, creativity, experimentation and innovation may reshape how public organisations think and act.

Read the article: Digitalising what Matters: Digital Transformation and Shifting Orders of Worth in Public Transport
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/joso-2025-0025/html



K2, Sweden's national knowledge centre for collective mobility, funded the project. At K2 academia, the public sector and industry meet to discuss and develop the role of collective mobility in Sweden. K2 is operated and funded by Lund University, Malmö University, and VTI, in collaboration with Region Stockholm, Västra Götaland Region, Region Skåne, and the Swedish Transport Administration. K2 also receives financial support from Vinnova.
K2 - National Knowledge Centre for Collective Mobility:
https://www.k2centrum.se/en/

12/10/2026

Winter school in Political Psychology (PhD course)!

PhD course at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lund University
Course period: 2 December 2026–17 January 2027 (classes in Lund 2–15 December)

Application deadline: 2 November 2026

Course convenor: Professor Hanna Bäck (political science)
Teachers: Associate Professor Magnus Lindén (psychology); Professor Robert Klemmensen (political science); Associate Professor Roxanna Sjöstedt (peace and conflict studies)

• How do personality traits influence political behavior?
• What cognitive biases do people have?
• Why are some party supporters hostile toward other parties' supporters?
• Why do some individuals become radicalized?
• What is the role of gender stereotypes in politics?
• How do destructive leaders interact with their followers?
• How do leaders’ perceptions and beliefs influence foreign policy decisions?

This PhD course provides doctoral students with an advanced introduction to the field of political psychology, which explores how
insights from psychology can help us understand political attitudes, decision-making and behavior.

Students will gain an overview of the key theoretical perspectives that have shaped the discipline, including work on emotion, social identity and personality, as well as explore a range of contemporary topics such as affective polarization, protest participation, cognitive bias, destructive leadership and foreign policy decisions.

A distinctive feature of the course is its interdisciplinary environment. Teaching staff and participants come from a variety of academic backgrounds, including political science and psychology, creating valuable opportunities to exchange perspectives and deepen their understanding of political decision-making and political behavior from different research traditions.

https://www.sam.lu.se/en/internal/research-and-education/doctoral-studies-supervision/doctoral-courses/political-psychology

09/10/2026

On 9 October, Katja Garson successfully defended her doctoral thesis in Political Science at Lund University. Congratulations to our newest Doctor! Her dissertation, "Boreal Forest Temporalities: Temporal Politics in Finland and Sweden", highlights voices, relationships, and narratives that are often overlooked or excluded from political and public discussions about forests.

Lund University.

09/10/2026

Plugga till våren? Se våra kurser och program! Sök senast 15 oktober.

Statsvetenskapliga institutionen erbjuder utbildningar inom ämnena statsvetenskap, freds- och konfliktvetenskap samt underrättelseanalys.

Du kan söka till ett kandidatprogram utan att tidigare ha pluggat vid högskola eller universitet.

Om du vill sätta ihop din utbildning på egen hand kan du läsa fristående kurser.

Hitta din utbildning här: https://www.sam.lu.se/utbildning/hitta-utbildning

06/10/2026

📣 Can disruptive protest strengthen democracy, or even help it survive?

In his new book The Responsibility to Disrupt, political scientist Markus Holdo explores citizens’ right and responsibility to challenge existing power structures in order to confront injustice, improve democracy, and make space for critical thinking. 📖

In a recent blog post, he connects these questions to the rapid development of AI, discussing issues such as surveillance, the influence of algorithms on public debate, and the growing power of major technology companies.

💬 “AI demonstrates more clearly than any other issue that protest is needed to make us stop and think.”

👉 Read more about the book and Markus Holdo’s arguments:

🔗 https://www.svet.lu.se/en/article/does-democracy-need-disruption-survive-new-book-connects-protest-ai-debate

Lund University. Drawing on both classical and contemporary political theory, Markus Holdo examines citizens’ right and responsibility to challenge established structures in order to mobilise against injustice, strengthen democracy and create space for critical reflection. At the same time, there ...

30/09/2026

🇪🇺 What’s it like to negotiate Europe’s future?

For one day, 45 master’s students at Lund University stepped into the roles of heads of government, ministers, European Commissioners and senior officials in a large-scale EU negotiation simulation.

By building alliances, negotiating policies, and navigating competing national interests, students experienced first-hand how EU decision-making works in practice while developing valuable skills in diplomacy, collaboration, and critical thinking.

🔗 Read the full story and learn more about our European Affairs programmes: https://www.svet.lu.se/en/article/day-heart-eu-decision-making-students-took-their-seats-negotiating-table

Lund University. Learning about the EU by experiencing itThe annual role-play exercise is part of the course European Governance and brought together students from Lund University’s two European Affairs master’s programmes: the long-standing European Affairs - Master of Science programme and the...

25/09/2026

När framtidens klimatförändringar ska gestaltas räcker det inte alltid med rapporter och seminarier. Nu har forskningsprojektet Bye Bye Bryggen, där Johannes Stripple vid Statsvetenskapliga institutionen är en av initiativtagarna, tilldelats Universitetet i Bergens förmedlingspris för sitt innovativa arbete med forskningskommunikation. Stort grattis!
Photo: Miri Pyttel/ Umami Produktion

Lunds universitet. Bye Bye Bryggen, en ljudvandring in i Bergens möjliga klimatframtider, har tilldelats fakultetens förmedlingspris vid Universitetet i Bergen. Johannes Stripple vid Statsvetenskapliga institutionen är en av projektets initiativtagare och medskapare.Året är 2100. Tonje försök...

25/09/2026

Missa inte Annika Björkdahl och Johanna Mannergren på Bokmässan i Göteborg: "När kvinnor vittnar om krig"

Söndag 27 september kl. 10:50-11:05
Scen: Forskartorget – ingår i entrébiljetten

Kvinnors vittnesmål om krig blottlägger övergrepp och ger ny kunskap om krigets verklighet. Från nazisternas koncentrationsläger Ravensbrück till dagens konflikter visar vår forskning hur kvinnors erfarenheter återkommer över tid – och hur den personliga berättelsen används som ett kraftfullt verktyg för fred och rättvisa.

Medverkande:

Annika Björkdahl, professor i statsvetenskap vid Lunds universitet
Johanna Mannergren, professor i statsvetenskap och internationella relationer vid Södertörns högskola

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Med vår medverkan på Bokmässan i Göteborg vill vi sprida kunskap om Lunds universitets senaste forskning till den intresserade allmänheten, men också till politiker, media och den kulturelit som besöker Bokmässan varje år.
https://www.lu.se/samverkan-och-innovation/popularvetenskapliga-arrangemang/bokmassan-i-goteborg-2026

25/09/2026

Struggling with an essay? Finding it hard to get started? Or want to improve your study skills? Meet the Academic Support Centre at Lund University! We offer free support to all students in Lund, Malmö, Helsingborg, and Ljungbyhed.

Get advice on academic writing, study skills, reading strategies, presentations, and responsible use of generative AI.

You can join our writing and study sessions, attend lectures, or book an individual or group consultation for help with structure, language, and getting started. Support is available in both English and Swedish.

Read more here: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/.../academic-support-centre
Photo: Lund University Media Bank.

Struggling with an essay? Finding it hard to get started? Or want to improve your study skills? Meet the Academic Support Centre at Lund University!We offer free support to all students, in Lund, Malmö, Helsingborg and Ljungbyhed.

Get advice on academic writing, study skills, reading strategies, presentations and how to use generative AI responsibly.

You can join our writing and study sessions, attend lectures, or book an individual or group consultation for help with structure, language and getting started. Support is available in both English and Swedish.

Read more here: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/current-students/student-services-and-support/study-skills-language-and-academic-writing/academic-support-centre

Photo: Lund University Media Bank.

25/09/2026

Lönar det sig att engagera sig politiskt mellan valen? Ja, kanske mer än många tror, enligt statsvetaren Jesper Lindqvist vid Lunds universitet.

I en ny studie med data från 270 000 personer i 40 länder har forskare undersökt vilka som faktiskt får sina politiska åsikter representerade i den politik som genomförs. Resultaten visar att personer som engagerar sig mellan valen, genom exempelvis namninsamlingar, demonstrationer, bojkotter eller kontakter med politiker, oftare får genomslag för sina åsikter än de som avstår.

Studien visar också att ju fler former av politiskt deltagande en person ägnar sig åt, desto större är sannolikheten att den politik personen föredrar genomförs inom några år.

– För den som vill påverka politiken och vill vara på den säkra sidan är ett tips att inte bara rösta utan också använda de andra demokratiska möjligheter som finns, säger Jesper Lindqvist.

Läs mer om studien här: https://www.svet.lu.se/artikel/studie-i-40-lander-politisk-aktivism-verkar-lona-sig

Lunds universitet. Statsvetare från bland annat Lunds och Göteborgs universitet har undersökt om vissa sätt att delta politiskt är mer effektiva än andra. Detta gjordes genom att samköra olika enkätdatabaser om politiskt deltagande med uppgifter om människors åsikter om policyförslag samt...