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  • 1.
    Arora-Jonsson, Seema
    et al.
    Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, (SWE).
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, (SWE).
    Lives in limbo: Migrant integration and rural governance in Sweden2021In: Journal of Rural Studies, ISSN 0743-0167, E-ISSN 1873-1392, Vol. 82, p. 19-28Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Two long-term trends characterized the response to the influx of asylum seekers in rural Sweden in 2015. First, a result of current policy-making on integration policy, is the focus increasingly focussed on individual immigrants, especially in relation to education, employment and housing provided the framework for the response. Second, the shift of rural governance from state control to collaborative arrangements with nonstate actors, enabled the unprecedented involvement of civil society in the reception and integration of asylum-seekers in rural areas. The consequences of the confluence of these two approaches are most visible in rural areas. In this paper, we explore the new landscape of collaborative governance in relation to migrant reception and integration and ask: what kind of space for maneuver might be available for migrants in the context of collaborative governance of integration in rural Europe? We argue that the new context of rural governance in tandem with integration policies focusing on individual migrants/ families rather than also considering group and ethnic belongings can leave newcomers at the mercy of an informal and unknown institutional terrain of collaborative governance, one that can exacerbate their vulnerability and lead to a situation of “double isolation”- from co-ethnic networks as well as from local society.

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  • 2.
    Barthoma, Soner
    et al.
    Uppsala University.
    Sivets, Ala
    Uppsala University.
    Arifuzzaman, Rajon
    Uppsala university.
    Pettersson, Johanna
    Uppsala University.
    Fritz, Pauline
    Uppsala university.
    Rossi, Aurora
    Uppsala universitet.
    Begemann, Jonas
    Uppsala university.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Uppsala University.
    Reception Policies, Practices and Responses: Sweden Country Report2020Report (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This report explores reception policies, practices and humanitarian responses to the current refugee crisis in Sweden, focusing on the aftermath of 2015 unprecedented refugee migration, and also providing a brief historical perspective. Sweden has been known as one of the most generous countries in terms of welcoming refugees and providing an easy path to citizenship but its migration and reception policy has taken a ‘restrictive turn’ in recent years. The refugee crisis in 2015 has not only opened the window for ‘a major policy shift’ and ‘historical’ legislative changes to the Swedish migration and reception policy but also impacted the social, economic and political sphere instigating anti-immigrant sentiments. To significantly reduce the numbers of asylum seekers, Sweden has taken a series of temporary measures including changes in the Reception of Asylum Seekers Act (LMA) and a new Temporary Law (2016) reducing its asylum standards to the minimum standards of EU law. Under this temporary law, everyone who applies for and is given asylum receives a temporary residence permit, at the same time making family reunification extremely difficult. Although the numbers of asylum seekers decreased remarkably in the last three years, the government had not lifted the restrictive measures thus leading to asylum seekers experiencing difficult reception conditions.

    Current Swedish reception conditions can be best described with the word ‘uncertainty’ due to the lengthy reception period. It can be strongly argued that during the 2015 refugee influx the country received more refugees than it could have absorbed and managed which ultimately posed profound challenges at policy, administrative and implementation level. When it comes to reception practice, the approach of the Swedish government is more one of centralised dictating to the regional and municipal level, where the state is the main actor. The Swedish reception system, after the mass migration of refugees, encountered major problems providing accommodation, healthcare, services and allowances and early access to education and the labour market. In many dimensions of reception these limitations continue to exist.

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  • 3.
    Chattopadhyay, Subhayan
    et al.
    Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, (SWE).
    Ingesson, Tony
    Faculty of Social Sciences, Lund University, Lund, (SWE).
    Rinaldi, Alberto
    Faculty of Law, Lund University, Lund, (SWE).
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Political Science and Law, Political Science Division.
    Widén, Jerker
    Swedish Defence University, Department of War Studies and Military History, Maritime Operations Division.
    Almqvist, Jessica
    Faculty of Law, Lund University, Lund, (SWE).
    Gisselsson, David
    Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, (SWE).
    Weaponized genomics: potential threats to international and human security2024In: Nature reviews genetics, ISSN 1471-0056, E-ISSN 1471-0064, Vol. 25, no 1-2Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Genetic technologies are revolutionizing human health. In parallel, geopolitical instability has prompted renewed discussions on the risks of DNA technology being weaponized in international conflict. With today’s changing security environment, we argue that risk assessments must be broadened from genetically targeted weapons to a series of new domains.

  • 4.
    Erikson, Josefina
    et al.
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, (SWE).
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Urban and Rural Development, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, (SWE).
    Beyond client criminalization: Analyzing collaborative governance arrangements for combatting prostitution and trafficking in Sweden2022In: Regulation and Governance, ISSN 1748-5983, E-ISSN 1748-5991, Vol. 16, no 3, p. 818-835Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Sweden is well known as the first country in the world to adopt client criminalization in an effort to control and eventually eliminate prostitution. Less attention has been paid to the emergence of extensive collaborative governance arrangements that serve as complements to the legal framework. The aim of this article is to provide new knowledge as it investigates the multifaceted ways in which governance arrangements have developed in Sweden, employing collaborative governance theories and the Regulatory–Intermediaries–Target model for this purpose. The strategies of responsibilization directed toward target groups that have been utilized to implement policies to control prostitution and trafficking are also explored. The article analyzes not only the rationale behind the adoption of collaborative governance in Sweden, but also the complex governance practices that have emerged in this regard, in which a range of actors are involved in policymaking and application as well as regulation. We conclude that the previous understanding of the Swedish model needs to be revised, and that although collaborative governance has made a fruitful contribution to the field in question, it also introduces new types of problems, particularly a significant increase in informality and decisionmaking outside the legal framework, primarily by civil society actors.

  • 5.
    Eriksson, Josefina
    et al.
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, Uppsala, (SWE).
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    How platforms facilitate collaboration across organizational boundaries: fighting human trafficking in Sweden2020In: Policy sciences, ISSN 0032-2687, E-ISSN 1573-0891Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The use of collaborations and partnerships that engage a variety of actors from both the public and private spheres has drawn attention during the last decade as a promising strategy for combatting trafficking and improving assistance to victims of trafficking. This article investigates the Swedish Civil Society Platform against Human Trafficking as an example of successful collaboration between civil society actors. The aim is to explore how the platform as a distinct organizational form is capable of dealing productively with some of the challenges facing internal and external collaboration. We utilize interviews with key actors and a study of policy documents as we argue that the modularity and flexibility of the platform organizational form are key factors in its success. While it is a robust type of organization that may be regarded as a trustworthy partner, it also permits its member organizations to continue functioning as independent entities.

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  • 6.
    Kindström Dahlin, Moa
    et al.
    Uppsala University (SWE).
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    Winell, Anneli
    Uppsala University (SWE).
    Conclusion2021In: Religion, migration and Existial wellbeing / [ed] Moa Kindström Dahlin, Oscar L. Larsson, Anneli Winell, London: Routledge, 2021, 1Chapter in book (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This concluding chapter of the edited volume provides empirical and theoretical insights on the topics and contributions of the individual chapters. At the core of the argument and purpose of the book was an interest to identify and discuss the conditions of co-existence and solidarity among different groups in society, as well as how individuals could achieve a sense of socio-cultural belonging, including physical and mental health, which could potentially spur social cohesion in the age of diversity. The chapters in the book have touched upon a number of related issues and the contributing authors have made their analyses with examples from several countries (such as Sweden, Greece, Hungary, Australia, Finland and Belgium). All the chapters provide their own analyses and conclusions, which is why this closing chapter has the humble ambition of sharing some of the observations and reflections we have made during the journey of curating and theorising this volume.

  • 7.
    Kindström, Moa
    et al.
    Uppsala University, (SWE).
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    Winell, Anneli
    Uppsala University, (SWE).
    Introduction: Theorizing the role of religion in contemporary migration and integration governance2020In: Religion, Migration and Existential Wellbeing / [ed] Larsson, Oscar; Kindström Moa; Winell, Anneli, London: Routledge, 2020, 1Chapter in book (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This book aims to engage with one of the more pressing issues in the contemporary world, namely migration, either forced or voluntary. It intends to do so by focusing on the wellbeing of migrants and the role of religion in processes of integration in host societies. The book brings together researchers from various disciplines taking on the challenge to elaborate on the theme of this book from different perspectives, using different methods and theories. The value of multidisciplinary research on the role of religion in a globalised society – locally, nationally and internationally – can hardly be overestimated. Religious aspects and actors are present in legal, political and social policy contexts and form the basis for future research on e.g. secularisation, democracy, minorities, human rights, welfare, healthcare and identity formation. These and other related topics are discussed in this book. This introductory chapter provides the theoretical foundation for the book and its contributions

  • 8.
    Kindström, Moa
    et al.
    Uppsala University (SWE).
    Larsson, OscarSwedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.Winell, AnneliUppsala University (SWE).
    Religion, Migration, and Existential Wellbeing2021Collection (editor) (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This book uses the very latest research to examine current interactions between religion, migration and existential wellbeing. In particular, it demonstrates the role of religion and religious organizations in the social, medical and existential wellbeing of immigrants within their host societies. By focusing on the role and politics of religion and religious organisations as well as the religious identity and faith of individuals, it highlights the connection between existential wellbeing, integration and social cohesion.

    The book brings together researchers from various disciplines taking on the challenge to elaborate on the theme of this book from different perspectives, using different methods and theories with a wide selection of cases from various parts of the world. The value of multidisciplinary research on the role of religion in a globalised society – locally, nationally and internationally – is important for understanding the composition and potential solutions to social and political problems. Religious aspects and organisations are present in legal, political and social forms of governance and form the basis for future research on e.g. secularisation, democracy, minorities, human rights, welfare, healthcare and identity formation. These and other related topics are discussed in this book.

    This book is an up-to-date and multifaceted study of how religion engages with the mass movement of peoples. As such, it will be of great interest to any scholar of Religious Studies, Migrant Studies, Sociology of Religion, Religion and Politics, as well as Legal Studies with a human right focus

  • 9.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.
    A theoretical framework for analyzing institutionalized domination in network governance arrangements2019In: Critical Policy Studies, ISSN 1946-0171, E-ISSN 1946-018X, Vol. 13, no 1, p. 81-100Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Network governance, which involves an informal and self-regulated set of public and private actors, who together address various political and social problems, has substantially altered the institutional landscape concerning the formation and implementation of public policy. A common view is that this has made it possible to enhance pluralism and disperse political power by transferring power from the sovereign state to a wider set of private actors and stakeholders. I argue in this article that we need to analyze network governance in reference to the concept of domination and the theoretical tradition of neo-republicanism. For this purpose, I develop a theoretical framework that specifies five dimensions in which domination may arise and, conversely, be mitigated. An alternative image of network governance emerges which reveals that this type of governance may in fact generate a form of institutional domination that encompasses both citizens and civil society actors due to the arbitrary influence that certain network participants come to exercise upon the life choices of nonparticipants.

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  • 10.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.
    Advancing Post-Structural Institutionalism: Discourses, Subjects, Power Asymmetries, and Institutional Change2018In: Critical review (New York, N.Y.), ISSN 0891-3811, E-ISSN 1933-8007, Vol. 30, no 3-4, p. 325-346Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Colin Hay’s and Vivien Schmidt’s responses to my previous critical engagement with their respective versions of neo-institutionalism raise the issue of how scholars may account for the ideational power of political processes and how ideas may generate both stability and change. Even though Hay, Schmidt, and I share a common philosophical ground in many respects, we nevertheless diverge in our views about how to account for ideational power and for actors’ ability to navigate a social reality that is saturated with structures and meaning. There continues to be a need for an analytical framework that incorporates discourse and a constitutive logic based upon the power in ideas. Post-structural institutionalism (PSI) analyzes discourse as knowledge claims by means of the concept of a constitutive causality, analytically identified in respect to institutions, such that the substantive content of ideas/discourse provides ideational power and generates immanent change.

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  • 11.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.
    Book Review: Poststructural Policy Analysis - A guide to practice2018In: Critical Discourse Studies, ISSN 1740-5904, E-ISSN 1740-5912, Vol. 15, no 1, p. 104-106Article, book review (Other academic)
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  • 12.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Studies (SLU), Sweden.
    Diversifying neoliberalism and its multiple subjects through assemblage thinking - advancements and pitfalls: Assembling neoliberalism: expertise, practices and subjects, edited by Vaughan Higgins and Wendy Larner, New York, NY, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017, 331 pp., €117.69 (hardback), ISBN 97811375820342019In: Journal of Political Power, ISSN 2158-379X, E-ISSN 2158-3803, Vol. 12, no 1, p. 159-164Article, book review (Refereed)
  • 13.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
    Meta‐Governance and Collaborative Crisis Management: Competing Rationalities in the Management of the Swedish Security Communications System2017In: Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, ISSN 1944-4079, E-ISSN 1944-4079, Vol. 4, no 8, p. 312-334Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    It is well recognized that contemporary crisis call for collaborative efforts across both organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. One of the key challenges for governments and public authorities responsible for organizing crisis management is to find adequate ways in which they can support decentralized and collaborative responses. This effort can be analyzed through the meta‐governance approach that suggests that different instruments can be used to support decentralized collaborative efforts. This article analyzes the management of crisis communication in Sweden and the implementation of a new national Security Communications System (SCS) as a specific case of meta‐governance. The main finding suggests that meta‐governance may be impaired by combining different types of governance (sovereignty, markets, or network management) due to competing rationality invested in each governance style. The deadlock was, however, resolved by direct involvement and increased deliberation between the meta‐governors and the end users as it generated a shared understanding of crisis management and the utility of a single SCS. Besides identifying the importance of direct involvement in terms of network management the article also suggests that meta‐governors need to develop a deeper and more sensitive understanding of the self‐organizing nature of networks in order to be able to support collaborative crisis management

  • 14.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Urban and Rural Development, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.
    Meta-Governance and Collaborative Crisis Management: Competing Rationalities in the Management of the Swedish Security Communications System2017In: Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, ISSN 1944-4079, E-ISSN 1944-4079, Vol. 8, no 4, p. 312-334Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    It is well recognized that contemporary crisis call for collaborative efforts across both organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. One of the key challenges for governments and public authorities responsible for organizing crisis management is to find adequate ways in which they can support decentralized and collaborative responses. This effort can be analyzed through the meta-governance approach that suggests that different instruments can be used to support decentralized collaborative efforts. This article analyzes the management of crisis communication in Sweden and the implementation of a new national Security Communications System (SCS) as a specific case of meta-governance. The main finding suggests that meta-governance may be impaired by combining different types of governance (sovereignty, markets, or network management) due to competing rationality invested in each governance style. The deadlock was, however, resolved by direct involvement and increased deliberation between the meta-governors and the end users as it generated a shared understanding of crisis management and the utility of a single SCS. Besides identifying the importance of direct involvement in terms of network management the article also suggests that meta-governors need to develop a deeper and more sensitive understanding of the self-organizing nature of networks in order to be able to support collaborative crisis management.

  • 15.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden; Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.
    Meta-governance and the segregated city: difficulties with realizing the participatory ethos in network governance – evidence from Malmö City, Sweden2021In: Policy Studies, ISSN 0144-2872, E-ISSN 1470-1006, Vol. 42, no 4, p. 362-380Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Efforts to strategically implement governance reforms have become a common way in which to deal with complex social and political issues. The analysis presented in this article addresses recent governance reforms in Malmö, Sweden, that are intended to help resolve complex problems of urban segregation and social inequality. The article identifies important difficulties that have been encountered in promoting increased participation in spite of the great awareness on the part of local actors of the problems facing the community. The study brings forth evidence that there are good reasons for reassessing the inclusive ethos of network governance and for a critical investigation of precisely who gains access to political processes when network governance arrangements are implemented from above.

  • 16.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.
    Mitchell Dean and Kaspar Villadsen, State phobia and civil society: the political legacy of Michel Foucault2017In: Critical Policy Studies, ISSN 1946-0171, E-ISSN 1946-018X, Vol. 11, no 3, p. 381-383Article, book review (Other academic)
  • 17.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
    Overcoming Collective-Action Problems in Collaborative Crisis Management: Meta-Governance and Security Communications Systems2020In: Collaborative Crisis Management: Inter-Organizational Approaches to Extreme Events / [ed] Fredrik Bynander and Daniel Nohrstedt, London: Routledge, 2020, 1, p. 57-69Chapter in book (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The emergence and presence of collaborative crisis management networks, in terms of close collaboration between public and private actors, implies a major managerial challenge for public authorities. One of the key tasks for the responsible public authorities is to initiate and maintain various organizational architectures as well as technical systems to facilitate functional collaboration in loosely and temporarily composed networks. The nature of crises requires collaborating partners to communicate effectively with each other in order to make informed decisions under conditions of uncertainty and to engage and call upon the assistance of additional actors in the security network to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises. This chapter contains a study of the implementation of the national communication system RAKEL in Sweden and focuses on the aspects of planning and facilitating collaborative crisis management through system architecture and meta-governance of collaborative crisis management. The analysis places emphasize on three core challenges of technical systems: hardware issues, software issues, and economic aspects. The chapter argues that if we wish to overcome collective-action problems in crisis management systems, managers need to be attentive to the nature of networks and the potential deadlocks of competing styles of governance.

  • 18.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section. The Swedish University of Agricultural Studies, Uppsala, Sweden.
    Security and Citizenship2019In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies / [ed] Scott Romaniuk, Manish Thapa, Péter Marton, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, 1stChapter in book (Refereed)
  • 19.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.
    Sovereign power beyond the state: a critical reappraisal of governance by networks2013In: Critical Policy Studies, ISSN 1946-0171, E-ISSN 1946-018X, Vol. 7, no 2, p. 99-114Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This article argues that existent critique against the discourse and practice of governance by networks fails to consider the more substantial political challenges that such a style of governance generates. By not addressing the depoliticization claims present in the discourse of governance by networks there is a continuation of the seemingly attractive solution and possibility for states to perform metagovernance of networks. Such suggestions have, however, overlooked the instability of networks and the politics of politics that this form of organization entails. By making use of a retheorization of sovereign power and its double relationship to public political space, it is argued that new insights can be gained with regards to the role of networks in contemporary politics. This retheorization suggests that sovereign power is present when decisions are made both on the political nature of issues and on whether accountability to the wider public should apply. Thus, contrary to the claim that sovereign power is declining as networks get involved in public affairs, it is argued here that such power is even more present due to an increased uncertainty of political boundaries that arise in the implementation and maintenance of new governing structures.

  • 20.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, Uppsala Universitet, Sverige.
    Säkerhet, samverkan och business - oförenliga ideal: [Security, Collaboration and Business - Incompatible Ideals]2013In: När Förvaltning blir business: marknadiseringens utmaningar för demokratin och välfärdsstaten / [ed] Linda Rönnberg, Urban Strandberg, Elin Wihlborg, Ulrika Winblad, Linköping: Linköping University Electronic Press, 2013, 1, p. 169-186Chapter in book (Refereed)
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  • 21.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    Technocracy, Governmentality, and Post-Structuralism2020In: Critical review (New York, N.Y.), ISSN 0891-3811, E-ISSN 1933-8007, Vol. 32, no 1-3, p. 103-123Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The technocratic dimension of government—its reliance upon knowledge claims, usually in scientific guise—is of great importance if we wish to understand modern power and governance. In Power Without Knowledge: A Critique of Technocracy, Jeffrey Friedman investigates the often-overlooked question of the relationship between technocratic knowledge/power and ideas. Friedman’s contribution to our understanding of technocracy can therefore be read as a contribution to governmentality studies, one that introduces the possibility of adding normative solutions to this critical tradition.

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  • 22.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    The connections between crisis and war preparedness in Sweden2021In: Security Dialogue, ISSN 0967-0106, E-ISSN 1460-3640, Vol. 52, no 4, p. 206-324Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Contemporary liberal and democratic states have ‘securitized’ a growing number of issues by advancing the notion of societal security. This is coupled with a proactive stance and the conception of building societal resilience in order to withstand future crises and disturbances. The preemptive logic of contemporary security and crisis management calls for a new type of resilient neoliberal subject who is willing to accept uncertainty and shoulder greater individual responsibility for her own security. This article offers a genealogical analysis of this development in Sweden since the end of the Cold War, highlighting the role now assigned to citizens within social and national security planning. I argue that seeking a return to a more traditional notion of ‘total defence’ blurs the previously important war/peace and crisis/security distinctions. While war preparedness in previous eras was an exceptional aspect of human life and citizenship, the conceptions of security now evolving bind together societal and national security such that civil and war preparedness are merged into an ever-present dimension of everyday existence. The analysis also reveals that the responsibilization of individuals introduces a moral dimension into security and generates new forms of citizen–citizen relations. These extricate the sovereign powers of the state and the liberalist social contract between the state and its citizens.

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  • 23.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Political Science and Law, Political Science Division.
    The Government of Emergency – Vital Systems, Expertise and the Politics of Security: by Stephen J. Collier and Andrew Lakoff, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 20212023In: Critical Policy Studies, ISSN 1946-0171, E-ISSN 1946-018X, Vol. 17, no 3, p. 502-504Article, book review (Other academic)
  • 24.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.
    The Governmentality of Meta-governance: Identifying Theoretical and Empirical Challenges of Network Governance in the Political Field of Security and Beyond2015Doctoral thesis, monograph (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Meta-governance recently emerged in the field of governance as a new approach which claims that its use enables modern states to overcome problems associated with network governance. This thesis shares the view that networks are an important feature of contemporary politics which must be taken seriously, but it also maintains that networks pose substantial analytical and political challenges. It proceeds to investigate the potential possibilities and problems associated with meta-governance on both theoretical and empirical levels.

    The theoretical discussion examines meta-governance in relation to governmentality, and it puts forward the claim that meta-governance may be understood as a specific type of neo-liberal governmentality. The meta-governance perspective regards networks as a complementary structure to traditional administration that can be utilized in the implementation and realization of public policy, but which also preserves the self-regulating and flexible character of networks. This generates a contradiction between the goals of public management and the character of networks that requires further investigation.

    The combination of the specific dynamics of the political field of security, the diminishing role of sovereign powers, the emergence of security networks, and the meta-governance stance adopted by the Swedish state constitutes a situation that should have been favorable for the successful employment of meta-governance. The empirical investigation of meta-governance is divided into two parts. The first part reviews the historical process involved and shows how the Swedish government and public authorities have adopted a meta-governance stance. The second analyzes the specific instruments and strategies that have been deployed in the governance of security communications and in the management of Sweden’s new security communications system which is an important aspect of security networks. The historical study together with the analysis of the meta-governance tools deployed reveals that the meta-governors neither reached the goals specified, nor fulfilled the overall purpose of successful security communications.

    I argue on the basis of the theoretical and empirical findings obtained in the present study that it is very difficult to successfully employ meta-governance in respect to security and crisis management, and that we have sound reasons to suspect that meta-governance will run into similar difficulties in other political fields as well. I conclude that meta-governance is a far more difficult practice than has been anticipated by existing theories and policy recommendations. Turning to meta-governance as a way to govern and control organizations may in fact lead to further fragmentation and distortion of public politics.

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  • 25.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.
    The governmentality of network governance: Collaboration as a new facet of the liberal art of governing2020In: Constellations, ISSN 1351-0487, E-ISSN 1467-8675, Vol. 27, no 1, p. 111-126Article in journal (Refereed)
  • 26.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    The maritime turn in EU foreign and security policies - aims, actors, and mechanisms of integration2021In: Defense and Security Analysis, ISSN 1475-1798, E-ISSN 1475-1801, Vol. 37, no 3, p. 381-383Article, book review (Refereed)
  • 27.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    The role of religion and the power of civil society actors in integration governance in rural contexts2020In: Religion, Migration and Existential Wellbeing / [ed] Moa Kindström Dahlin, Oscar L. Larsson, Anneli Winell, London: Routledge, 2020, 1Chapter in book (Refereed)
  • 28.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of War Studies and Military History, Maritime Operations Division.
    The Swedish Covid-19 strategy and voluntary compliance: Failed securitisation or constitutional security management?2022In: European Journal of International Security, ISSN 2057-5637, E-ISSN 2057-5645, Vol. 7, no 2, p. 226-247Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The Covid-19 pandemic that emerged in the spring of 2020 caused severe political, social, and economic turmoil throughout the world. In spite of early warning signals from the World Health Organization, countries struggled to shape their policy responses and countermeasures for curtailing the spread of the virus while also minimising the damage that any restrictions would inflict on the health and well-being of society at large. While some countries have adopted strict regulations and extraordinary measures after declaring ‘states of exception’ and ‘national emergencies’, others have relied upon expert recommendations and individual responsibility. Sweden is viewed as having adopted one of the latter type of approaches in that it places the responsibility for social distancing upon the individual. Is this an instance of a failed ‘securitisation’ process, or rather a sensible constitutional and political response to a severe security event? This article presents an in-depth analysis of the Swedish strategy for coping with Covid-19, arguing that this case illustrates that security management in a democratic state should direct greater attention to rule following in accordance with a logic of appropriateness rather than the rule breaking envisaged by securitisation theory.

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  • 29.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.
    Using Post-structuralism to Explore the Full Impact of Ideas on Politics2015In: Critical review (New York, N.Y.), ISSN 0891-3811, E-ISSN 1933-8007, Vol. 27, no 2, p. 174-197Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Colin Hay's constructivist institutionalism and Vivien A. Schmidt's discursive institutionalism are two recent attempts to theorize ideas as potential explanations of institutional change. This new attention to the causal role of ideas is welcome, but Hay and Schmidt do not take into consideration the constitutive and structural aspects of ideas. Instead they reduce ideas to properties of individual conscious minds, scanting the respects in which ideas are intersubjectively baked into the practices shared by individuals. This aspect of ideasarguably, the institutional side of ideasis developed in post-structuralist thought, which therefore demands a place in ideational research.

  • 30.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.
    Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution (New York: Zone Books, 2015)2017In: Foucault Studies, ISSN 1832-5203, E-ISSN 1832-5203, Foucault Studies, ISSN 1832-5203, no 23, p. 174-178Article, book review (Other academic)
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  • 31.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    Why More Civil Society Will Not Lead to Less Domination: Dealing with Present Day State Phobia through Michel Foucault and Neo-Republicanism2021In: Journal of Political Power, ISSN 2158-379X, E-ISSN 2158-3803, Vol. 14, no 1, p. 258-275Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The notion of civil society, as an ontologically distinct sphere, separated from the state thereby serves as an antidote to the sovereign power of the state. Since the 1990s, we have seen reforms and organizational structures that advances the role ofthe market as well as the civil society along with a voluntary sector, often with the deliberate attempt to disrupt the power of the stateand to tame the Leviathan through the promotion of networks,partnerships, co-governance and collaboration. This can be understoodin terms of a present day state phobia and builds on a liberal conception of negative freedom understood as non-interference.Yet if we take Foucault‘s theorizations of power as omnipresent as itdisrupts the power/freedom dichotomy we need to find alternativeways to cope with relations of power in order to not let themdeteriorate into relations of domination. I argue in this article that neo-republican ideal of non-domination can be combined with Foucault’s insights on the nature of power. If correct, a continued promotion of more civil society involvement and partnerships between public and private actors provides a false insurance to diminish domination in contemporary societies.

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  • 32.
    Larsson, Oscar
    et al.
    Swedish Defence University, Department of War Studies and Military History. Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    Dean, Mitchell
    CBS, Copenhagen University (DNK).
    Sovereignty and sovereign powers in global governmentality2021In: The Globality of Governmentality: Governing an Entangled World / [ed] Jan Busse, London: Routledge, 2021, p. 85-102Chapter in book (Refereed)
  • 33.
    Larsson, Oscar
    et al.
    Swedish Defence University, Department of Military Studies, Tactical Warfare Division, Maritime Operations Section.
    Sjöqvist, Sara
    Department of Rural Development, The Swedish University of AgriculturalSciences, Uppsala, (SWE).
    Managing National Food Security in the Global North: Is collaborative governance a possible route forward?2022In: Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, ISSN 1944-4079, E-ISSN 1944-4079, Vol. 13, no 2, p. 118-143Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Many countries in the “Global North” that have enjoyed relative food security for a number of decades now face challenges that may lead to disturbances in food supplies. Global markets and global flows are not as self-evident as they were a few years ago and new modes of governance for managing national food security during crisis are required. Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have further showed that global production systems and communications are fragile to a range of different disturbances. This article examines the possibility of managing national food security through collaborative arrangements between public authorities and private food companies through a case study of the Swedish approach to food security. The analysis is based on a theoretical framework that highlights the importance of motivation, leadership, shared understanding, and trust as four dimensions that evaluate collaborative governance in precrisis situations. We conclude that although a broader understnding of the importance of food security has emerged, collaborative governance arrangements run the risk of creating only an illusion of readiness, due to unclear mandates and clear leadership not able to advance trust, legal structures, or concrete agreements for ensuring national food security.

  • 34.
    Larsson, Oscar
    et al.
    Swedish Defence University, Department of War Studies and Military History, Maritime Operations Division.
    Widén, Jerker
    Swedish Defence University, Department of War Studies and Military History, Maritime Operations Division.
    The European Union as a Maritime Security Provider – The Naval Diplomacy Perspective2022In: Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, ISSN 1057-610X, E-ISSN 1521-0731Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The aim of this article is to assess how the European Union advances its role as a global security actor and how it deploys the military forces provided by the member states. Tracing the current debate of the identity and means of the European Union, we analyze the two maritime operations, EU NAVFOR Somalia (Operation Atalanta) and EUNAVFOR MED (Operation Sophia) from a naval diplomacy perspective. Naval diplomacy acknowledge a more versatile role for naval forces, not just military advancement and force projection. For this purpose, we need to go beyond mission descriptions and operational mandates in order to analyze and assess the two operations from within, relying on internal reports and interviews with senior officers who have participated in the operations. Results show that naval forces seeks cooperation with International organizations, NGOs, and third countries in order to facilitate security and good order of the global common of international water. Still, complex security problems are not resolved in this manner and EU maritime operations are highly political, thus facing an uncertain future as a tool of CSDP.

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  • 35.
    Rådestad, Carl
    et al.
    Straterno Institute, Sweden.
    Larsson, Oscar
    Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.
    Responsibilization in contemporary Swedish crisis management: expanding ‘bare life’ biopolitics through exceptionalism and neoliberal governmentality2020In: Critical Policy Studies, ISSN 1946-0171, E-ISSN 1946-018X, Vol. 14, no 1, p. 86-105Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The aim of this paper is to investigate the changing relations between individuals and public authorities within the Swedish crisis management system from 1995 to 2017. After the end of the Cold War, Sweden adopted a broader understanding of security that utilizes alternative governance strategies beyond sovereign means and focuses upon domestic security and the protection of vital systems. This has resulted in the emergence of collaborative arrangements involving public and private actors and as well as the extensive responsibilization of individuals. The latter has taken place since emergency and exceptionalism persist as vital concepts also in domestic security management. The present discussion argues that these two concepts restrict possibilities for democratizing security management and provides the means for harnessing the inclusion of volunteers while not granting them due voice in collaborative governance arrangements. However, responsibilization strategies include ‘activation’ which in turn may invoke critical agency and reflection as well as enable resistance toward the current apolitical notion of crisis management.

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