Min forskning

My current research centres on the intersection of political institutions and communication and/or coordination in central government, as well as on the EU and its party-political context. This research continues a longstanding cooperation with Tapio Raunio, professor of political science at Tampere University, Finland. We have co-authored several publications. In our book Transnational Parties and Advocacy in European Integration (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) we study political parties at the European level – Europarties – and how they exercise their agency. We return to the
topic to look back to the ongoing evolution of Europarties and to identify longer-term trends. They are having an impact on EU decision-making and are benefiting from a regulatory framework which involves their funding. While there are limits to their agency, Europarties have strengthened their own organizational capacity. Among other things, the book describes how they are organized and explains why some Europarties are better placed to make their impact felt than others. It finds that Europarties continue to wield influence and that their cohesion and capacity for mobilization emerges as the key factor or condition for influencing political outcomes in the EU along party political lines. The findings raise questions about the future role of the Europarties, not least how they might contribute to democratizing the EU itself.

Another ongoing area of research  for me is government communication, defined broadly as the structures, practices and processes of central executive institutions in their communication aspects. Here my field of work focuses on political leadership, institutions, and communications (and coordination of communications and policy) in central government in Sweden and elsewhere, including advisory structures.

I was leader of the research project “Symbiotic leader-media relations? Exploring interaction between prime ministers and the media in Finland, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden”, which ran until end of 2021. My monograph The Prime Minister–Media Nexus: Centralization Logic and Application (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022) emanates from the project, along with several other publications. A central finding is the institutional strengthening of government communication. The media generates functional pressures, and has contributed to more integration of communication, politics and policy. Learn more about the project on its website (https://polexmedia.com; see also https://ostersjostiftelsen.se/en/project/symbiotic-leader-media-relations-exploring-interaction-between-prime-ministers-and-the-media-in-finland-lithuania-poland-and-sweden/).

Recent or forthcoming work mostly address questions revolving around government–media relations, including digital and social media effects on government and governing. Forthcoming work will also include a monograph on the transnational dimension of Sweden’s liberal-conservative Moderate Party, and more besides.

In addition to many books and book chapters, my publications include research reports and articles in journals such as Acta Politica, Comparative European Politics, European Journal of Political Research, Frontiers in Political Science, Government and Opposition, Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of European Integration, Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Public Affairs, Party Politics, Politics & Policy, Public Administration, and West European Politics.