Södertörns högskolas Publications
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Grundlagsändringsregler i Sverige och Danmark : En rättskomparativ studie
No full textSveriges grundlagar utgör grunden för landets statsskick. Det är viktigt att grundlagarna är väl förankrade och stabila över tid. Regeringen tillsatte en grundlagskommitté 2020 med uppdrag att utreda formerna för ändring av grundlagen. Kommitténs slutbetänkande, Förstärkt skydd för demokratin och domstolarnas oberoende (SOU 2023:12) innehåller flera förslag på förändringar i den särskilda beslutsordningen beträffande grundlagsändring med syftet att stärka grundlagsskyddet. De gällande rättsreglerna för grundlagsändring i Sverige och Danmark jämförs i uppsatsen med den rättsdogmatiska respektive den rättskomparativa metoden, både med avseende på likheter och skillnader. Danmark har valts som jämförelseland eftersom yttre förutsättningar med hänsyn till geografi, kultur, religion och historia ligger nära Sveriges samtidigt som Danmark har ett väsentligt starkare grundlagsskydd än Sverige.I allmänhet används två olika huvudmetoder för att genomföra en grundlagsändring: en metod som bygger på någon form av kvalificerad majoritet och en metod som bygger på folkomröstning, eller en kombination av metoderna. Danmark tillämpar en kombination av både kvalificerad majoritet och folkomröstning, medan den Sverige tillämpar en särskild ordning som inte följer någon av dessa metoder. Danmarks grundlag brukar ses som rigid, eftersom den är så svår att ändra att den inte har ändrats sedan den infördes 1953. Den svenska grundlagen är mer flexibel och har också ändrats åtskilliga gånger sedan den infördes 1974. Sverige och Danmark har liknande statsskick och tillhör samma rättsfamilj. Folksuveräniteten är viktig i båda länderna, men formerna för hur folksuveräniteten kommer till uttryck vid grundlagsändringar är en förklaring till skillnaderna beträffande grundlagarnas stabilitet i de båda länderna. I Sverige representeras folkets vilja av riksdagens parlamentariska sammansättning och grundlagsändringar sker huvudsakligen genom politiska beslut i riksdagen utan direkt folklig inblandning. I Danmark måste varje förslag till grundlagsändring godkännas direkt av medborgarna genom folkomröstning. Ovan nämnda förslag till lagändringar i Sverige av Grundlagskommittén skulle medföra att det i svensk rätt inför en beslutsprocess för grundlagsändring som i högre grad skiljer sig från processen vid annan lagändring och som höjer grundlagarnas status, i likhet med vad som redan gäller i Danmark. Sverige skulle med dessa ändringar dock fortfarande ha en relativt flexibel konstitution, men den skulle bli mer stabil än den är nu
Från NFRD till CSRD : En studie om hur intressentdialog och väsentlighetsanalys förändrats i hållbarhetsrapporteringen
No full textPurpose: This study examines how large Swedish companies have changed their approaches to stakeholder dialogue and materiality analysis during the transition from the EU’s Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) to the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). It also explores differences across industries in implementing these processes. Method: A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted, including content analysis of 61 sustainability reports from 16 companies before and after CSRD implementation and semi-structured interviews with sustainability managers across four sectors (banking, manufacturing/industrial, construction and audit). The document analysis was coded for the presence and characteristics of stakeholder engagement, double materiality, and related disclosures, while interviews provided deeper insight into how companies organize these processes internally. Stakeholder theory and legitimacy theory provided the analytical lens for interpreting findings. Findings: The transition to CSRD has led to significant changes. Under NFRD, companies typically disclosed a basic list of material sustainability topics with little explanation of how stakeholders were engaged or how those topics were selected. The concept of double materiality, considering both the company’s impact on the world and external sustainability factors’ impact on the company was effectively absent in practice. Following the introduction of CSRD, sustainability reporting exhibits a far higher degree of structure and transparency. Companies now carry out explicit double materiality analyses and document their methodologies in detail. Stakeholder dialogue has become more formalized: many firms now routinely employ surveys, workshops, and interviews to gather input from both internal and external stakeholders. We also observed that companies explicitly link their assessments to CSRD and the ESRS standards, improving comparability. Differences between industries were evident: industrial companies place greater emphasis on environmental and supply chain issues, whereas banks focus more on social and governance issues, reflecting the varying impact areas of their operations. The construction sector faces particular challenges in data collection across extensive supplier networks. Despite these differences, all examined sectors are moving towards more resource-intensive yet informative sustainability processes under CSRD. Conclusion: The shift from NFRD to CSRD has professionalized corporate sustainability reporting. Stakeholders now play a more influential role, their input is systematically 5integrated and double materiality analysis has evolved from an overlooked concept to a core activity. This change is driven partly by compliance and legitimacy motives, and partly by a growing recognition that sustainability issues must be managed holistically. The study provides insight into how regulation can accelerate the adoption of best practices, while also highlighting the need for ongoing development of methods and expertise to ensure that these new processes truly create value for both companies and stakeholders
Occupational safety amongst journalists in Mexico : A qualitative study of journalists' perceived occupational safety in Mexico
No full textOver the past two decades, Mexico has become known as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Previous studies have largely focused on physical violence, while occupational safety has rarely been examined from a holistic perspective, one that also considers digital, financial, and psychological safety. This study explores occupational safety and the effects of threats to occupational safety using a comprehensive approach, based on ten long-form qualitative interviews with journalists working in Mexico. It also examines the impact of occupational threats on professional practice and emotional well-being. Through thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews, five key themes emerged: A) Physical threat: Regional differences, gendered violence, and safety equipment as a double-edged sword, B) Digital threat: Digital surveillance: a vague but common problem, C) Financial threat: Precarity and inequality D) Psychological threats and the effects of threat on emotional well-being: Psychological distress resulting from exposure to threats, coverage of traumatic events, and strained relationships with editors, and E) Coping and the effects of threats to occupational safety on professional practice: Self-censorship, distancing, support networks, and collective collaboration. The results of this study show that different forms of threats to occupational safety are interconnected, making certain groups such as freelancers and investigative journalists particularly vulnerable. The findings also demonstrate that threats affect journalists' professional practice at every stage, from idea development to publication, and that exposure to threats negatively impacts their emotional well-being, regardless of the type of threat involved
Liggande protest : En närläsning av performativitet och frigörelseprocesser i Ana Mendietas Alma, Silueta en Fuego
No full textThis thesis examines the artistic practice of Ana Mendieta through a close reading of the video work Alma, Silueta en Fuego (1975). The analysis situates the work within the feminist art practices of the 1970s and the period’s critical engagement with questions of the body, identity, and belonging, drawing on theories of performativity and abjection. Particular emphasis is placed on how the work produces meaning through process, absence and materiality rather than through traditional forms of representation. In Alma, Silueta en Fuego, Mendieta replaces her own body with a silhouette and uses fire as a means of dissolution and transformation. Through this strategy, the work articulates experiences of exile, loss and conditional belonging. The thesis argues that the work functions as a form of artistic resistance to fixed identity categories, in which what disappears continues to operate meaningfully through its remains. In this way, what is lost to fire persists as meaning through the ashes
Utmattning i arbetslivet : Hur personlighet, kön och ålder samverkar med risken för utmattning inom Stockholms län
No full textThis study examines how personality, gender, and age interact with experienced work-related exhaustion in Stockholm County. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected through an online questionnaire targeted at employed individuals in the Stockholm area. A total of 111 participants completed self-report questionnaires, and the participants assessed their characteristics based on the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2) and reported their levels of exhaustion using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The results revealed that neuroticism is strongly associated with an increased risk of exhaustion, while other personality traits such as extraversion, conscientiousness and agreeableness may serve as protective factors. The study also identified gender differences, with women reporting higher levels of exhaustion. Additionally, age was found to be a significant factor, with younger participants exhibiting a greater risk of experiencing exhaustion symptoms. Combining Big Five assessments with self-report measures of exhaustion can help identify individual risks and guide preventive actions. Understanding these factors allows both individuals and organizations to promote sustainable work environments and reduce the risk of burnout
När tradition möter teknologi : En kvalitativ studie om organisatoriska utmaningar i svenska storbanker till följd av kontinuerlig digital transformation och framväxten av FinTech-aktörer
No full textSyftet med denna studie är att bidra till en fördjupad förståelse av hur kontinuerlig digitalisering och framväxten av FinTech-aktörer påverkar svenska storbankers interna strukturer. Studien avser därmed att bidra med teoretiskt förankrade insikter om hur starkt reglerade organisationer kan förstå och hantera kontinuerlig digital transformation. Digitaliseringens snabba utveckling har förändrat den finansiella sektorn och så kallade FinTechs både konkurrerar och samarbetar idag med banker. Traditionella banker står ständigt inför betydande organisatoriska och strategiska utmaningar kopplat till nya teknologiska innovationer, affärsmodeller och kundförväntningar. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ intervjustudie med semistrukturerade intervjuer där empiri samlats in för att bygga en fördjupad förståelse för de organisatoriska utmaningar som kan uppstå och hur bankerna hanterar dessa. Studiens huvudteori är Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT) och används som analytisk ram för att analysera bankernas förmåga att identifiera, mobilisera resurser och transformera i en föränderlig omvärld. Även Lewins förändringsmodell som är anpassad för kontinuerligt förändrade organisationer har använts för att analysera studiens empiri. Studiens resultat visar att dynamiska förmågor spelar en central roll i de svenska storbankernas hantering av de utmaningar digitaliseringen skapar. Utveckling av interna processer, teknologiska kompetenser och organisatorisk flexibilitet är särskilda förmågor som påverkar bankerna. Vidare så visar resultaten att trots ambitioner hos samtliga banker, så råder det en starkt reglerad och etablerad struktur som både är dyr och omständig att förändra. Sammantaget så bidrar studien med en ökad förståelse för hur digitaliseringen och framväxten av FinTech påverkar de svenska storbankerna. Digital transformation är en organisatorisk process snarare än teknologisk, vilket går att applicera på andra institutionella kontexter. Genom att jämföra digitalisering inom banksektorn med andra institutioner bidrar studien till en bredare teoretisk förståelse av hur reglering, riskmedvetenhet och organisationskulturer påverkar möjligheten till kontinuerlig digital förändring och innovation.The purpose of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how continuous digitalization and the emergence of FinTech actors affect the internal structures of major Swedish banks. The study thus aims to provide theoretically grounded insights into how strongly regulated organizations can understand and manage continuous digital transformation. The rapid development of digital technologies has transformed the financial sector, and FinTech firms today both compete and collaborate with traditional banks. As a result, established banks continuously face significant organizational and strategic challenges related to new technological innovations, business models, and changing customer experiences. The study is based on a qualitative interview study using semi-structured interviews, where empirical data was collected to develop an in-depth understanding of organizational challenges and how banks manage them. The main theoretical framework applied is Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT), which is used to analyze banks ability to identify opportunities, mobilize resources, and transform their organizations in a changing environment. In addition, Lewin's change model adapted for continuous organizational change is applied to analyze the empirical data. The results show that dynamic capabilities play a central role in how Swedish major banks manage the challenges created by digitalization. The development of internal processes, technological competencies, and organizational flexibility emerges as particularly important capabilities. Furthermore, the findings indicate that despite strong ambitions among the banks, highly regulated and established organizational structures remain costly and slow to change. Overall, the study contributes to an increased understanding of how digitalization and the emergence of FinTech affect Swedish major banks. Digital transformation is shown to be an organizational rather than a purely technological process, a perspective that can be applied to other institutional contexts. By relating digitalization in the banking sector to other institutions, the study contributes to a broader theoretical understanding of how regulation, risk awareness and organizational culture influence the capacity for continuous digital change and innovation
Navigating the Nexus of Biodiversity and Global Trade : Challenges and Priorities for Future Research
No full textThe relationship between European trade and biodiversity is complex and multifaceted. Trade flows impact biodiversity both directly and indirectly, and are dependent on ecosystem services that are underpinned by biodiversity. Evidence shows that global trade flows currently contribute to substantial environmental pressures and associated biodiversity loss. This also implies that gains can be made for biodiversity if these pressures are reduced or removed. Environmental provisions are increasingly being included in trade policies and agreements to achieve this, but their effectiveness is constrained by a poor understanding of biodiversity-trade interactions and effects, and a lack of measurable metrics and targets. Moreover, environmental policies aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of trade often risk merely re-directing trade flows, and the associated environmental pressures, to other regions. The challenge of understanding and addressing the effects of trade, environment and biodiversity interactions is further exacerbated by siloed analytical and policy domains dealing with trade.We present a research agenda that synthesises insights from diverse scientific disciplines, policy sectors, and recent scholarly advances in biodiversity and trade. The research agenda was developed through an iterative process that drew on Delphi methodologies to gather input and expertise from the Partnership for European Environmental Research (PEER), a network of eight leading environmental research institutes across Europe. This was combined with inputs from a workshop with policymakers, particularly from the European Commission. Although our research agenda draws on examples of global trade with the European Union (EU), the identified research topics apply generally to global trading systems.The proposed research agenda comprises four research topics: two aimed at understanding the effects of biodiversity-trade interactions, and two focused on responses that reconcile biodiversity outcomes in trading systems. In the first two, on understanding the effects of biodiversity-trade interactions, we highlight the need for complex systems analysis that takes account of a diverse range of disciplines and includes a deeper examination of the underlying causes of ecologically harmful trade. In the second, on considering responses to improve biodiversity outcomes in trading systems, two key topics of research were identified: the first topic focuses on financial flows and supply chains, and the second on effective and equitable policies for the biodiversity-trade nexus. Together, the four research topics provide information to critically assess where and under what conditions trade can be beneficial from a broader societal perspective – a perspective that accounts for a range of environmental, social and economic outcomes across geographic scales, sectors and social groups. With this research agenda we aim to foster critical inquiry, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration, and science-policy initiatives that enhance the knowledge, data and capacities necessary for a more sustainable and equitable approach to global trade and biodiversity governance
AI och digital transformation i organisationer : En studie om hur artificiell intelligens påverkar organisatoriskt lärande
No full textArtificiell intelligens (AI) har blivit en allt mer central del av organisationers digitala transformation och påverkar hur arbete organiseras, utförs och förstås inom IT-beroende arbetssystem. Trots det ökande intresset för AI:s strategiska och tekniska möjligheter har begränsad uppmärksamhet ägnats åt hur AI upplevs och tolkas av medarbetare i deras dagliga arbete, särskilt i relation till organisatoriskt lärande och kompetensutveckling. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka hur operativa och taktiska yrkesroller uppfattar införandet av AI i olika IT-beroende arbetsprocesser, samt hur dess uppfattningar hänger samman med förändringar i lärande inom ramen för digital transformation. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ forskningsansats baserad på semistrukturerade djupintervjuer med yrkesverksamma från olika organisatoriska sammanhang. Det empiriska materialet har analyserats genom tematisk kodning, där både deduktiva och induktiva kodningsstrategier har kombinerats. Analysen har sin teoretiska utgångspunkt i Work System Theory och ett sociotekniskt perspektiv, vilket möjliggör en granskning av samspelet mellan teknik, mänskliga aktörer, information och arbetsprocesser. Resultaten visar att AI i huvudsak uppfattas som ett stödjande verktyg snarare än som en genomgripande förändringskraft. Förändringar i arbetsprocesser och arbetssätt sker gradvis och på individnivå, där AI integreras i befintliga rutiner snarare än genom omfattande organisatoriska omstruktureringar. Vidare framkommer att ansvar och beslutsfattande fortsatt är tydligt förankrade hos mänskliga aktörer, samtidigt som AI medför ökade krav på kontroll, verifiering och kritisk reflektion. Organisatoriskt lärande framträder som en central men utmanande aspekt av AI-i förandet, där kompetensutveckling i stor utsträckning sker genom informationssökning och individualiserade lärprocesser snarare än genom strukturerade organisatoriska initiativ. Överlag bidrar studien till en fördjupad förståelse av hur AI påverkar lärande, ansvar och arbetssätt i IT-beroende arbetssystem. Resultaten understryker vikten av att betrakta AI införande som en socioteknisk förändringsprocess, där organisatoriska strukturer för lärande och gemensam förståelse är avgörande för att uppnå en hållbar och långsiktig digital transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly central component of organizational digital transformation, influencing how work is organized, performed, and understood within diffrent IT-dependent work systems. Despite growing interest in the strategic and technological potential of AI, limited attention has been given to how AI is experienced and interpreted by employees in their everyday work, particularly in relation to organizational learning and competence development. The purpose of this study is therefore to explore how operational and tactical roles perceive the introduction of AI in IT-dependent work processes, and how these perceptions relate to changes in learning within the context of digital transformation. The study adopts a qualitative research approach based on semi-structured deep interviews with professionals from different organizational contexts. The empirical material has been analyzed using thematic coding, combining both deductive and inductive coding strategies. The analysis is theoretically informed by Work System Theory and a sociotechnical perspective, enabling an examination of how technology, human actors, information, and work processes interact. The findings indicate that AI is primarily perceived as a supportive tool rather than a transformative force. Changes in work processes and work practices occur incrementally and at an individual level, with AI being integrated into existing routines rather than through comprehensive organizational restructuring. The results further show that responsibility and decision making remain firmly anchored with human actors, while AI introduces increased demands for control, verification, and critical reflection. Organizational learning emerges as a central yet challenging aspect of AI adoption, where competence development largely takes place through information and individualized learning processes rather than through structured organizational initiatives. Overall, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how AI influences learning, responsibility, and work practices in IT-dependent work systems. The findings highlight the importance of viewing AI adoption as a sociotechnical change process, where organizational structures for learning and shared understanding are critical for achieving sustainable and long term digital transformation.
Collective dimensions of academic supervision : How the acknowledgment of different actors in degree project supervision can contribute to scaffolding
No full textAcademic supervision involves several key actors in addition to supervisors and students, who share the same general objectives. Our aim here is to investigate and discuss collective dimensions of degree project supervision practice by examining how supervisors use the acknowledgment of such key actors within the degree project context, in their interaction with supervised students. In what ways do supervisors in their supervision practice acknowledge various actors within the degree project context? What functions may this have in the supervision interaction? The empirical material consists of recorded supervision sessions with students within teacher education at two Swedish universities. The results show how supervisors used attribution and active voicing to acknowledge the various actors in the degree project context, and how this could be part of the scaffolding means giving instructions and modelling. Based on the analysis of our material, we argue that this can be seen as contributing to the scaffolding intention cognitive structuring, by a) helping students understand the different roles and responsibilities of the different actors, by b) helping them to assess the importance and relevance of the advice given by these actors, and by c) emphasising the students' own role as active participants in the process
Action flows in change and its influence on organizational culture : A qualitative study about employees experience of socio-technical change
No full textA socio-technical transformation entails a change of different factors in an organization, two of these being flows of activity and organizational culture in an IT-reliant worksystem. Through a qualitative research approach this thesis aims to explore the impact of sociotechnical change on activity flows and how employees in these flows experience its influence on organizational culture. Meaning how a sociotechnical change can transform workflows and in turn influence the organization's shared values, norm and behaviours within the operations of an organization. The study is anchored in a theoretical multiperspective composed by three synthesized theories in Baygi's flow oriented perspective where the theoretical framework of correspondence is central and Jackson’s three modalities of organizational culture closely followed by Lamb and Kling’s social actor theory to understand the behaviour of individual actors in an organization.. Findings reveal how socio-technical changes reshape flows of activity through correspondence, meaning activities emerging through contingent confluence of heterogeneous flows of action and how the change reshapes interdependencies resulting in both opportunities and challenges for employees. Changes also lead to shifts in cultural aspects such as enhanced integration, emerging subcultures or ambiguous dynamics depending on how the actors adapt to the changed workflows and new technologies. This research further strengthens the importance of aligning social-organizational factors with technological aspects in order to achieve sustainability in an organization's cultural and operational integration. The results offer a deeper insight of how socio-technical changes create a dynamic interaction between technology and social actors. Practical implications such as how changes are dependent on unpredictable activities contribute to the understanding of management and adaptation to socio-technical changes while ensuring the organization's effectiveness and cultural cohesion. En socioteknisk transformation innebär en förändring av olika faktorer i en verksamhet, två av dessa faktorer är handlingsflöden och organisationskultur i ett IT-beroende arbetssystem. Genom en kvalitativ forskningsansats så syftar denna uppsats till att utforska effekten av socioteknisk förändring på handlingsflöden och hur anställda i dessa flöden upplever dess inflytande på organisationskulturen. Detta innebär hur socioteknisk förändring kan förändra arbetsflöden och i sin tur påverka verksamhetens gemensamma normer, värderingar och beteenden inom verksamheten. Studien är förankrad i ett teoretiskt multiperspektiv av tre syntetiserade teorier: flödesorienterat perspektiv av Baygi, Introna & Hultin (2021) där sammanvävningen av handlingar är det centrala i ramverket och Jacksons (2011) tre modaliteter av organisationskultur följd av Lamb & Klings (2003) social aktörsteori för att förstå beteendet hos enskilda aktörer i en verksamhet. Resultaten visar hur förändringar omformar handlingsflöden genom sammanvävning, vilket innebär att handlingar som uppstår genom betingade sammanflöden av heterogena handlingsflöden och hur förändringen omformar ömsesidigt beroende vilket skapar både möjligheter och utmaningar för verksamheten och anställda. Förändringar leder också till omväxlingar i kulturella aspekter som ökad integration, framväxande subkulturer eller tvetydig dynamik beroende på hur aktörerna anpassar sig till de förändrade handlingsflöden och ny teknik. Denna studie stärker ytterligare vikten av att anpassa sociala och organisatoriska faktorer med tekniska aspekter för att uppnå hållbarhet i en verksamhets kulturella och operativa integration. Resultaten ger en djupare insikt av hur socioteknisk förändring skapar en dynamisk interaktion mellan teknik och sociala aktörer. Praktiska implikationer såsom hur förändringar är beroende av oförutsägbara handlingar som bidrar till att hantera och anpassa sig till sociotekniska förändringar samtidigt som att verksamheten effektiviseras och att kulturella sammanhållningar i verksamheten förstärks