Introduces the nomination process for the Swedish Political Science Association's Essay Prize and the winning essay for 2008 by Mikael Persson titled 'Did the egalitarian reforms of the Swedish educational system equalize levels of democratic citizenship?' The essay studied the effects of the educational reform done in the mid 1990's and was proclaimed to be well written and methodologically advanced by the awarding committee. L. Pitkaniemi
Introduces two articles on the role of Swedish political science internationally and on equality in Swedish political science. While both topics have been previously discussed, they are still considered important and sensitive. L. Pitkaniemi
In 1870, political science was established as an academic discipline, attached to history, at the Lund University. In 1877, a chair in history and political science was created. Twenty-five years later, it was transformed into a chair in political science and statistics. In 1926, that symbiosis was put to an end and political science was awarded a chair of its own. Pontus Fahlbeck, professor from 1889 to 1917, was a historian who developed into a social scientist with broad interests: political science, statistics, economics, and sociology. Several of his books were also published in foreign languages and he had many contacts with colleagues abroad, particularly in France and Germany. However, the critical period in the modernization of political science in Lund happened just after the middle of the 20th century, with Nils Stjernquist, holding the chair from 1951 to 1983, at helm. The dependence of history and legal science waned; the influence of social science, especially in its American version, increased. The result was a modern political science department with broad interests and worldwide contacts. References.
As part of the discontinuation of the Political Science Association's own magazine Politologi, the Journal of Political Science offers a section for the Association. This section will provide new dynamical means of communication between political scientists & the journal, & therefore stimulate qualified debate & scientific publications. Besides scientific articles, reports from conferences & information on the Association's work are also welcomed. C Brunski
Over the last decades there has been a growing interest in normative theory within the social sciences in general & political science in particular. Timeless questions of good & bad, right & wrong, & of the nature & justification of the good society -- of what the good society ought to be -- have thus surfaced again. However, not much has been written on the specific methodological issues that arise when explicitly approaching normative questions on social scientific, i.e. systematic & inter-subjective, grounds. Departing from a reflection concerning the conceptual meaning of norms & values -- the anchor of normative analysis -- & by confronting different axiological positions, this essay formulates a few guiding principles for a normative methodology. These principles include requirements on internal validity (accuracy, consistency, clarity, coherence, & intersubjective reasoning) as well as external validity (external justification, plausibility, & empirical relevance). 46 References. Adapted from the source document.
Good political science is about making true and important statements about politics. Its first task is to allow this objective to guide practical research -- and teach how to work. Good political science is not paralyzed by the difficulties of reaching one's own ideals. Nor is it more difficult to achieve those ideals than those of anybody more important. Good political scientists note that difficulties are reflected on them, but never let them reduce involvement in political science tasks. Only by way of exception may good political science consist of a discussion of good political science. Adapted from the source document.
Addressing the challenges faced by the Political Science Society, the editor notes that lack of funding has been identified as perhaps the greatest. She discusses challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities of the organization. Adapted from the source document.
Political science research in Sweden is heavily dependent on external financing. Two institutions have long had a special position in regards of financing research in traditional core areas of political science, namely Research Council and National Bank Jubilee Fund. The competition for research grants is now solid and the projects awarded grants may thus in some sense be regarded as representing "leading-edge research" in Swedish state sciences. Adapted from the source document.
Is it really meaningful to talk about "good" science? We hesitate. We desire good (state) science stumbling near a positivist scientific view. We wish for political science theory -- and practice as much as possible to emulate natural science theory and methodology -- to be objective, to look for hard facts, causal relationships, universal laws, and by using the "right" methods to reach the "right" or "true" knowledge and thus make us the "real" knowledge producers. At the same time we believe it is important to keep the discussion on good science not only alive but also always ongoing. Perhaps this is an ongoing discussion about our research efforts and research ideals of what constitutes good science? It is our guiding principle when we formulated the following manifesto for the good of science. Adapted from the source document.
Herbert Tingsten (1896-1973) was one of the leading political science scholars in Sweden during the 20th century. In 1935-1946 he was a professor at Stockholm University. In 1946-1959 he was the editor-in-chief of the leading liberal newspaper in Sweden, the Dagens Nyheter. Tingsten's extensive scholarly production can be summed up in four groups. The first group describes the political institutions and rules, e.g. his doctoral thesis about referendum in the United States (1923). The second group contains analyses of political ideas. The third group combines institutional descriptions and analyses of ideas, primarily democratic and totalitarian ones. The fourth group, lastly, consists primarily of Political Behavior (1937). This book, a classic in the study of electoral statistics, gave Tingsten a lasting international acknowledgement. Adapted from the source document.
Research on Europeanization clearly shows that membership in the European Union over time affects the national political systems of member states. Given Norway's extensive integration within the EU, it is relevant and important to assess whether and, if so, how the Norwegian political system, too, has changed as a result, and how these effects compare with the general patterns among EU member states. Exploring the Europeanization of Norway in a comparative perspective, the article maps the effects of European integration for four central power relationships in the Norwegian political system: national-supranational authority, executive-legislative-judicial authority, political-administrative authority and national-regional authority. It is demonstrated that integration within the EU to a large extent has had the same effects in Norway as in the member states of the EU, despite Norway's alternative form of affiliation: extensive delegation of power to the supranational level, strengthening of the government in relation to the parliament, an increasingly important role for national courts, expanded power and autonomy of the executive administration in relation to the political leadership, and some strengthening of the regions vis-a-vis the central government. Adapted from the source document.
In recent Swedish political debate a former anonymous group has been noticed, political appointees in the political executives. In media they are often characterized as politicians and in the last decades an expansion of them has taken place, both at governmental and municipal level (Stockholm). However, studies of this key group are surprisingly few. The study is related to "politicization", a concept widely used in international political science. Not only the expansion (and the recent feminization) of the group is here discussed. Even more important is the changing patterns of careers and the creation of staffs of political appointees that surround the politicians. The changes can be viewed as an effort from the politicians to regain control of the bureaucracy. By studying this, at least in Sweden, neglected group, the concept on politicization also is developed. Adapted from the source document.
Political science research in Sweden depends heavily on external financing. The Swedish Research Council and the Riksbankens jubileumsfond have long played a major role in this. A list of applicants who received research grants from those two organizations in 2007 is presented. Adapted from the source document.
