Statsvetenskapliga institutionen - Umeå universitet

10/09/2026

Är du förstagångsväljare eller behöver friska upp valkunskaperna?
Idag kan du läsa en survival guide i Västerbottens-Kuriren inför det stundande riksdags- region- och kommunvalet. Vår docent Magnus Blomgren guidar dig.

Stor survival guide för nya väljare • Statsvetaren guidar dig till de tre olika valen – så skiljer de sig åt • Ordlista: få koll på valbegreppen • Det här ska du ha med dig till vallokalen

10/09/2026

09/09/2026

New Policy Brief on Women’s peacebuilding in hybrid regimes: Insights from Sri Lanka and Myanmar

The policy brief summarizes key findings from a research project “Between Liberal Norms and Authoritarian Governance: Women’s Organi¬zations as Peacebuilders in Illiberal Postwar States”.
This research project, led by Dr Elisabeth Olivius (Umeå University), examined how women peacebuilders navigate their position between international peacebuilding agendas and state governance, and how the tensions they encounter shape their work.

The key findings:
● State restrictions, repression and surveillance significantly constrain women’s peacebuilding work.
● International support is critically important but can reinforce divisions and expose women activists to risk.
● In response, women peacebuilders navigate risk and uncertainty in strategic and creative ways, which requires ongoing adaptation of how they organize; how they represent their activities and goals; and how they build protective networks.

The authors of the Policy brief: Dr Elisabeth Olivius and Dr Malin Åkebo, Department of Political Science, Umeå University

Read the policy brief https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-258619

01/09/2026

Nästa vecka äger seminariet "Vad kostar den ”gröna” omställningen i norr rum"

Seminariet berör frågor om den gröna omställningens konsekvenser i Sápmi, med särskilt fokus på mineralprospektering, markanvändningskonflikter och urfolksrättigheter.

Från Statsvetenskapliga institutionen medverkar Elsa Reimerson och Elias Isaksson. Elias Isaksson modererar även samtalet.

Tid och plats: torsdag 10 september kl. 18.00 i Lindellhallen 2.

Välkommen till ett Young UTRI-seminarium om den gröna omställningens konsekvenser i Sápmi, med särskilt fokus på mineralprospektering, markanvändningskonflikter och urfolksrättigheter.

24/08/2026

What can traditional reindeer herding practices in Sweden teach us about coexistence between humans and nature?

🎥 In this video, Umeå University Professor Camilla Sandström shares how combining traditional knowledge with scientific research can help build more sustainable and resilient approaches to managing human-nature relationships.

This is a central focus of the Horizon Europe-funded Co-creating Coexistence (CoCo) project, which explores how stronger connections between science and society can contribute to a more sustainable future.

Want to stay connected with the project?

📢 Learn more: https://cocoproject.eu/en/home
📬 Subscribe to the newsletter: https://cocoproject.eu/en/newsletter

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.