Social Policy

While South African media outlets are reporting more on climate change, coverage remains siloed as a niche beat rather than integrated across economics, health, and agriculture stories—limiting public understanding of climate's business impact. A new analysis of 11 major publications reveals heavy reliance on international news sources and event-driven coverage, suggesting local climate risks aren't being adequately communicated to decision-makers.EN

A new study reveals that data center employees at all levels—from security guards to executives—are caught between competing anxieties: fears that automation will eliminate their jobs, and uncertainty about whether their roles will remain relevant. The findings suggest that workforce planning in a critical infrastructure sector is being undermined by unresolved technological uncertainty.EN

A large Swedish study finds that persistent truants suffer significantly higher rates of depression, self-harm, and behavioral problems—but strong social connections can nearly eliminate these gaps. The finding offers a concrete intervention strategy for schools and policymakers trying to prevent mental health crises in at-risk youth, particularly during crisis periods like pandemics.EN

A three-year study of Swedish schools reveals that shared leadership requires more than structural changes—it demands deliberate cultivation of trust networks and dialogue practices over time. The findings offer a roadmap for school systems and other organizations struggling to distribute decision-making beyond top management.EN

A new study reveals that Stockholm's vaunted urban planning doesn't guarantee equal food access for all residents. While drivers enjoy near-universal access to healthy food, public transit users face significant travel-time barriers—a finding with implications for urban design, public health budgets, and retail location strategies across developed cities.EN

A new academic collection reveals that understanding Islam today requires abandoning traditional religious-studies silos in favor of interdisciplinary methods. The shift matters for policymakers and business leaders trying to interpret how Islamic identity shapes everything from consumer behavior to media representation and social integration.EN

Swedish municipalities rushed to adopt counterterrorism policies not because they needed them, but because they feared reputational damage if they didn't, according to new research. The findings reveal how institutional pressure—rather than actual security threats—drives policy adoption, raising questions about whether such compliance-driven approaches actually work.EN

A new historical study traces how Dominica's Indigenous Kalinago people have resisted erasure, found refuge, and revived their culture across centuries of colonial pressure. For policymakers and business leaders, the research offers lessons in how marginalized communities sustain identity and autonomy in the face of systemic displacement.EN

Researchers are launching an ethnographic study to understand peer sexual harassment as students experience it across three age groups, from elementary through high school. The findings could reshape how schools design prevention policies and support systems by centering student perspectives that are currently missing from the evidence base.EN

A new study shows that early intervention programs focusing on parent-school collaboration can transform fractured relationships and reduce chronic absenteeism in young children. The finding matters to districts and policymakers wrestling with attendance gaps that widen inequality and derail academic progress before children reach elementary school.EN

A new study of 20 Swedish journalists reveals how media workers psychologically manage escalating threats and harassment—shifting from emotional coping to problem-solving when initial responses fail. The findings matter for media organizations and policymakers designing newsroom safety protocols and understanding the real costs of press freedom erosion.EN

A Swedish study reveals why child participation in welfare policy development repeatedly falls short despite legal mandates and institutional support. Researchers identified systemic barriers at national, regional, and local levels that silence young voices—findings with direct implications for how governments design and implement rights-based policies across sectors.EN

Researchers have compiled the first comprehensive database of Swedish parliamentary motions spanning 1867 to 2024, providing policymakers and analysts with an unprecedented tool to study how political priorities evolve. The structured dataset—linked to detailed information about lawmakers—enables tracking of social, economic, and educational policy debates across generations.EN

A new study shows how Nordic vocational educators are teaching mathematics through real-world problem-solving rather than abstract formulas. The approach matters because it could boost completion rates and job readiness in skilled trades—addressing labor shortages across Europe.EN

A new research collection examines how entrepreneurship is portrayed in movies, TV, and popular media—and why those portrayals matter. For policymakers and business leaders, understanding these cultural narratives is critical: they influence who tries to start companies, how investors evaluate founders, and which venture types attract talent and capital.EN

Sweden's once-stable five-party system has fractured into eight competing factions, with anti-immigrant parties and civil society groups upending traditional left-right politics. The shift signals how wealthy democracies face structural realignment—a warning for policymakers and business leaders tracking political risk across Europe.EN

Almost every Latin American country has created ombudsman offices to protect citizens from government abuse, but a new analysis reveals these institutions struggle to enforce their authority within fragmented legal and political systems. Understanding how these bodies actually function—or fail—matters for anyone investing in, regulating through, or relying on institutional accountability across the region.EN

A new analysis identifies how digital platforms wield unprecedented power to shape public debate, targeting everything from what people see to who participates in discussion. As regulators worldwide tighten oversight of Big Tech, policymakers face mounting pressure to enforce protections that preserve genuine media pluralism and democratic discourse online.EN

A new study maps out seven alternative payment systems—from Patreon to Buy Me a Coffee—that allow journalists and content creators in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine to generate income as traditional advertising revenue collapses. For media companies and platforms, understanding these tools is critical to supporting independent voices in regions where Facebook and Google capture most ad dollars.EN

Skibbereen, synonymous with famine tragedy, actually pioneered relief strategies that shaped disaster response across Ireland and Britain. Historians have overlooked how local leaders launched emigration schemes, modeled soup kitchens for government programs, and mobilized London's charitable networks—reframing how we understand community agency in crises.EN

Swedish researchers identified four distinct ways technology teachers adapt to institutional chaos and resource scarcity—from improvisers who make do, to defenders who struggle. The findings reveal that teacher identity, not just training, drives classroom effectiveness and retention in a field plagued by instability and unclear career paths.EN

A large experiment testing three payment approaches—full payment, no payment, and random selection—found no meaningful differences in how people behave in trust and cooperation games. The finding challenges a costly assumption in behavioral economics and could reshape how researchers design and fund studies.EN

When Sweden tightened asylum policies after 2015, social workers formed unauthorized partnerships with nonprofits to ensure young migrants received care and support. The strategy reveals how frontline professionals navigate conflicting mandates—a model with implications for how welfare systems function when policy and practice diverge.EN

A new study of Vallastaden, a Swedish urban development project, reveals that municipalities can wrest meaningful control from market-driven developers—but partial approaches won't solve affordability crises. For city planners and policymakers, the finding suggests where alternatives to neoliberal urban models might work, and where they will fail.EN

A new analysis reveals how European policy ambitions and Google's marketing narratives align to make the tech giant seem inevitable in classrooms—potentially limiting schools' future options. The finding suggests that policy-makers risk cementing corporate dependency through the language they use, not just the choices they make.EN