Statsvetenskapliga institutionen - Umeå universitet

16/07/2026

🌿 Last week, the Horizon Europe-funded Co-creating Coexistence project joined the 8th European Congress of Conservation Biology🌿

Umeå University researcher Dr. Auvikki de Boon joined as a panellist in the interactive session on emerging technologies for human-wildlife coexistence, alongside Prof. John Linnell (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research/University of Innland Norway) and Katharina Kasper (Polish Academy of Sciences). The session was organised by Dr. Dimitris Bormpoudakis (Callisto - Wildlife and Nature Conservation Society).

💬 The panellists, together with session participants, discussed among other aspects:
· Who should define the problem that the technology is meant to solve?
· Which voices and perspectives need to be involved in the design and evaluation of technology?
· How should the costs and benefits of technological interventions be distributed?
· How do different types of technology fit in with the everyday reality and practices of pastoralist?

💡 A central theme throughout the session was the importance of Co-design and Responsible Innovation, including the principles of anticipation, inclusion, responsiveness, and reflexivity. Key dimensions of environmental justice, such as distributional justice, procedural justice, and recognitional justice, and how they relate to emerging technologies were also explored.

Interested in following this work?
📢 Learn more about the CoCo project: https://cocoproject.eu/en/home
📬Subscribe to the CoCo newsletter: https://cocoproject.eu/en/newsletter

23/06/2026

I början av juni medverkade Magnus Blomgren, docent vid Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, i ett seminarium arrangerat av Europaparlamentet där han presenterade sin bok "EU och det svenska statsskicket". Ni kan se Magnus presentation mellan 3.20 och 32.15, som efterföljs av ett panelsamtal:

Sverige har varit medlem i EU i över 30 år och det finns få områden...

20/06/2026

🐑 🐻 This month, Dr. Auvikki de Boon presented Umeå University at both the Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference and Pathways Conference: Human Dimensions of Wildlife in the context of the Co-Creating coexistence project, of which Umeå University’s Prof. Camilla Sandström is also a part.

At NESS, she presented preliminary findings from an ongoing comparative analysis of pastoralism-wildlife policy mixes across Europe.

At the pathways conference, Dr. de Boon moderated a roundtable discussion with Adelphi researcher Katrina Marsden on cross-country learning for the governance of pastoralism–wildlife coexistence. In this roundtable, CoCo partners explored how pastoralism and wildlife policies interact across different national contexts. The session looked at policy coherence, consistency, and comprehensiveness – and at how complex policy landscapes can either support or hinder coexistence on the ground.

In addition, together with Alexandros Poulakis and Dr. Tasos Hovardas (CALISTO), Dr. de Boon co-organised a workshop exploring knowledge types and knowledge flows in collaborative governance arrangements for human–carnivore coexistence.

The discussions at both conferences marked an important step towards clearer policy recommendations, stronger cross-country learning, and more effective coexistence pathways in Europe.

📬 Curious to learn more about the Co-Creating Coexistence project?
Explore the project: https://cocoproject.eu
Subscribe to the newsletter: https://cocoproject.eu/en/newsletter

04/06/2026

I ett aktuellt inslag från SVT Västerbotten medverkar vår docent Louise Skoog och kommenterar bland annat varför frågan om byskolor väcker så starkt engagemang.

Se Louise i klippet ”Tre frågor om skolnedläggningar” här:

Just nu utreder skolchefen i Sorsele vad konsekvenserna blir av nedskärningar inom byskolorna. Men något skarpt förslag som politikerna ska ta ställning till kommer troligtvis inte innan valet i september. – Vi vill ha alla underlag på plats, det är svårt att ta ställning, säger kommunalr...

03/06/2026

Matheus Souza, PhD student at the Department of Political Science, will defend his dissertation this Friday. Ahead of the defence, an article has been published about his research, which is based on fieldwork in Mostar and shows how the city’s post-war reconstruction raises many questions about what should be preserved, transformed, or forgotten.

Rebuilding the city has involved far more than repairing houses and streets.

02/06/2026

I ett inslag från SVT Nyheter lyfter David Feltenius, docent vid Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, tre kommuner i Västerbotten att ha extra koll på inför valet:

Nu är det drygt tre månader till valet och frågan är vilka kommuner i Västerbotten som är extra spännande att följa. Statsvetaren David Feltenius har gjort en topplista – kolla in den i videon ovan.

29/05/2026

📢 Exciting updates from the Co-Creating Coexistence (CoCo) project!

Researchers from Umeå University — Prof. Camilla Sandström and Dr. Auvikki de Boon — together with international colleagues are preparing two sessions at the upcoming Pathways Conference: Human Dimensions of Wildlife next month.

🔹 Panel Discussion
Cross-country learning for coexistence: Evaluating governance of pastoralism and wildlife in Europe
This roundtable brings together CoCo researchers from Sweden, Spain, Romania, Poland, Italy, Germany, and France to explore how pastoralism–wildlife governance differs across EU countries. The discussion will highlight key insights, shared challenges, and policy recommendations emerging from cross-country comparisons.

🔹 Workshop
Knowledge types and knowledge flows in collaborative governance arrangements for human–carnivore coexistence
This interactive session will focus on how different forms of knowledge circulate within participatory processes, how they are integrated into policy and management, and how new knowledge can be co-created.

📬 Curious to learn more about the Co-Creating Coexistence project?
Explore the project: https://cocoproject.eu
Subscribe to the newsletter: https://cocoproject.eu/en/newsletter

22/05/2026

AI omformar högre utbildning och lärarnas arbete. Vår lektor Anna Zachrisson medverkar i ett aktuellt inslag i Rapport om undervisning och examination.

Se Annas medverkan från 15.31:

Ebolautbrottet: Kan ha förvärrats av minskat stöd • Israel: Hård kritik efter förnedring • Döda igelkottar: Ska samlas in

19/05/2026

Louise Skoog, docent vid Statsvetenskapliga institutionen medverkar i ett aktuellt inslag om vilka frågor som väntas prägla valåret:

År 2026 innebär valår – och i september ska vi väljare gå och rösta på vilka politiker vi vill ska styra i riksdagen, regionen och kommunerna. Så vilka blir då de heta frågorna i år? – Befolkningsminskningen påverkar nästan alla frågor, som äldreomsorg, skolor och gatubelysning. D...

18/05/2026

Vår docent Johan Hellström medverkar i ett inslag om hur användningen av valsedlar kan effektiviseras:

Inför varje val trycks över 700 miljoner valsedlar i Sverige – trots att bara cirka tre procent används. En utredning föreslår att det bara ska tryckas 270 miljoner, men statsvetaren i Umeå vill gå ännu längre.

– Det är ett stort slöseri, säger docenten Johan Hellström.
Foto: Pontus Lundahl, TT