Social Policy

An international panel of 65 health experts has identified 47 priority research areas for integrating palliative care into public health systems over the next decade. The consensus-driven agenda signals a major shift in how healthcare systems should prepare for end-of-life care delivery at scale.EN

A new paper examines the relationship between learning processes and self-conception, with implications for how organizations design training and educational systems. The findings could reshape workplace learning strategies and corporate talent development by revealing how people's learning experiences influence their sense of self and professional identity.EN

Researchers in Ireland show that applying accessibility standards to lecture materials—adding titles, improving color contrast, describing images—can be done incrementally without overhauling course design. The finding matters as colleges face pressure to serve the one-in-five students entering higher education with disabilities.EN

# Algoritmiska beslut kräver systemblic perspektiv Forskargruppen vid Lunds universitet analyserar hur algoritmer integreras i offentliga och privata beslutsprocesser, och pekar på ett kritiskt gap mellan teknisk design och samhällelig påverkan. Studien behandlar vad författare kallar det "socio-tekniska problemet" — motsättningen mellan algoritmers tekniska logik och de sociala konsekvenser de skapar. Arbetets relevans för beslutsfattare ligger i kartläggningen av hur algoritmiska system påverkar rättvisa, transparens och demokratisk kontroll. Forskarna från Lund University bidrar med ett ramverk för att förstå varför implementering av algoritmiska verktyg ofta misslyckas eller skapar oönskade bieffekter i offentlig förvaltning. För kommunledningar och policyrådgivare blir slutsatsen tydlig: algoritmutveckling kan inte lösas rent tekniskt. Regelefterlevnad och ansvarsfulla anskaffningar kräver tidigt engagemang från både administrativ och juridisk sida för att kartlägga systemets samhällspåverkan före införande.

Nine years after India overhauled its indirect tax system, a new analysis confirms the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has delivered on its core promise: slashing red tape and cutting compliance costs for businesses. However, the paper flags persistent challenges in execution that policymakers and investors need to address to unlock the reform's full economic potential.EN

Newsrooms across 13 countries are reorganizing beats around themes like technology and health rather than locations, according to new research. The shift signals how legacy news organizations are adapting to digital disruption—but full-time reporters remain central to their operations, suggesting tradition still constrains newsroom innovation.EN

A new study of Qatar World Cup broadcasts reveals how Swedish media portrayed the Middle East as culturally backward and threatening to Western values—a pattern that shapes public perception and policy debates. The findings expose how sports coverage actively constructs geopolitical divisions, with implications for how media outlets frame international stories and influence audience attitudes toward non-Western nations.EN

Researchers have created the first systematic way to evaluate whether government return programs succeed — combining legal design, implementation capacity, and real-world outcomes. The tool matters because billions in EU migration spending depends on whether these policies deliver results, and accountability has been nearly impossible to assess.EN

A new study of Swedish small businesses reveals that remote and flexible work arrangements sharply increase individual productivity but simultaneously erode the informal communication that holds teams together. The finding suggests companies cannot simply adopt flexibility policies and expect seamless operations—they must deliberately rebuild collaboration rituals to make it work.EN

Offentliga organisationer adopterar AI snabbare än deras styrningssystem hinner anpassas sig. En ny studie från Stockholm University avslöjar ett betydande gap mellan officiella AI-ramverk och hur anställda faktiskt använder teknik i sin dagliga verksamhet — ofta utan att ledningen är medveten. Forskarna intervjuade sexton anställda på olika nivåer i en kenyansk offentlig myndighet och identifierade omfattande "skugganvändning" av generativ AI, där tekniken implementerades bottom-up innan några formella riktlinjer fanns på plats. Organisationen närmat sig problemet genom att stärka människans tillsyn och ge informell vägledning, men håller fortfarande människan centralt för ansvaret. Slutsatsen är kritisk för politiska beslutsfattare: ansvarsfull AI-integration är inte en engångskontrollöversättning utan en pågående adaptiv process. Kommuner och myndigheter behöver återkommande uppdateringar av sina styrdokument för att matcha verklig användning.

A new academic framework argues that slavery was integral to medieval Muslim households, not separate from family life. The finding reshapes how historians understand family structures in Islamic societies and challenges Western-centric models of kinship that have dominated scholarship for decades.EN

A new paper challenges Western-centric definitions of slavery by examining how Islamic legal systems granted limited protections to enslaved women who bore their owners' children. The findings reshape policy and academic debates about historical bondage, family law, and whether slavery's definition should account for institutional variations across cultures and time periods.EN

A new study reveals that harassment in hotels and restaurants isn't random—it's embedded in how these workplaces are physically organized and managed. The research found that spatial segregation, demands to stay cheerful, and weak oversight create conditions where workers feel forced to endure mistreatment, raising urgent questions for operators, regulators, and insurers about liability and workforce retention.EN

A new study of policy documents across Denmark, Finland, and Norway reveals that welfare technology for older adults faces serious implementation gaps—including unrealistic expectations, fragmented regional rollouts, and funding that covers pilots but not ongoing maintenance. For policymakers and tech vendors, the findings expose a critical disconnect between digital ambitions and operational reality.EN

Researchers have found that casual conversations and social influence from people in your daily life — colleagues, friends, neighbors — significantly affect whether you make political statements through consumer choices like boycotts or ethical purchases. The finding suggests companies and policymakers need to rethink how social networks, not just individual beliefs, drive behavior change.EN

A national survey of over 1,200 Swedish employers reveals a striking gap: 80% lack formal age-based workplace policies, yet most claim to support older workers through ad-hoc fixes. The disconnect risks undermining government goals to keep people working longer as populations age.EN

A new Swedish study examines pathways toward a Europe without internal borders, examining how open labor markets could reshape employment and workforce mobility. For policymakers and businesses, the findings come as EU nations balance economic integration with migration concerns and labor market adaptation.EN

A new editorial from the European Society for Research on Adult Education signals a strategic shift: policymakers and educators are positioning civic learning as central to adult education systems across Europe. For governments and institutional leaders, this reflects growing recognition that workforce development alone is insufficient—democratic participation and active citizenship are now seen as essential outcomes that shape social cohesion and policy effectiveness.EN

**Produktteam behöver strukturerade rutiner för AI-stöd i prioritering** Produktchefer som använder generativ AI för resursfördelning måste bygga explicita förtroendeprocesser — inte förlita sig på AI:s rekommendationer utan kritisk granskning. En kvalitativ studie med åtta produkthanterare i Indonesien och Estland identifierade fem tilltroendepraktiker: AI som assistent, kalibrering genom AI-fel, informell verifiering, datakvalitetsbedömning baserat på individuell bedömning och gemensam granskning. Förtroendet varierar kraftigt mellan roller och expertis — det finns ingen universell acceptansnivå. Betydande fynd: organisationer skiljer mellan beslut om AI-användning och dess transparens. Många team döljer strategiskt AI-medverkan för att hantera intressenters uppfattningar. För offentlig sektor och kommuner innebär detta risker vid AI-stödda resursbeslut. Beslutsfattare måste kräva tydlig dokumentation av AI-inflytande och mänsklig ansvar, särskilt i prioriteringar som påverkar medborgare och samhällsresurser.

**Nya ramverk hjälper staten diagnostisera varför digitala reformer lyckas eller misslyckas** Digitala plattformar som införs genom EU-lagstiftning förändrar ofta systemen de är menade att förbättra — men beslutsfattare saknar ofta struktur för att förstå vad som faktiskt drev förändringen. Forskare vid Umeå universitet presenterar nu ett diagnostiskt ramverk som separerar tre kritiska nivåer: institutionella utgångspunkter, genomförda åtgärder och faktiska resultat. Ramverket testas genom Maritim Single Window, en plattform som blev obligatorisk när EU bytte från direktiv till förordning 2019/1239. Genom att isolera dessa lager kan myndigheter identifiera exakt vilken komponent som skapade effekten — regeländring, systemdesign eller användaradoption. För kommuner och statliga organ betyder detta konkret: bättre möjlighet att förutse vilka reformer som faktiskt ger resultat innan miljontals satsas på implementering, och hur man justerar kurs när det går snett.

Scientists discovered that microbial communities behave unpredictably across three distinct stable states depending on total carbon availability—but resource diversity has minimal impact. The finding could reshape how industries manage fermentation, wastewater treatment, and engineered ecosystems, suggesting that simply varying nutrient types won't stabilize microbial processes; controlling overall energy supply is what matters.EN

A new collection exposes how European governments expanded detention and deportation powers during the pandemic while activists and detainees mounted organized resistance. For policymakers and corporate leaders in regulated sectors, the findings highlight mounting pressure to reshape immigration systems around accountability and human rights rather than enforcement alone.EN

A new study links compulsive social media use driven by fear of missing out to reduced psychological wellbeing. The finding has implications for platform design, workplace productivity, and mental health policy as regulators increasingly scrutinize how apps capture user attention.EN

A new study reveals how opponents of gender equality have weaponized 'smart economics' arguments to dismantle women's rights programs globally. The reframing is reshaping development policy and funding—creating real consequences for organizations, governments, and institutions trying to advance social progress.EN

Researchers have developed a hybrid deep learning system that forecasts population changes more accurately than previous methods. The advance could help governments and businesses better plan infrastructure, services, and resources by providing more reliable demographic predictions.EN