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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of public libraries as institutions underpinning a democratic public sphere as reasons legitimizing libraries compared to reasons that are more traditional and the actual use of libraries as public sphere arenas. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of representative samples of the adult population in six countries – Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland – was undertaken. Findings – Legitimations related to the libraries role as a meeting place and arena for public debate are ranked as the 3 least important out of 12 possible legitimations for upholding a public library service. Libraries are, however, used extensively by the users to access citizenship information and to participate in public sphere relevant meetings. Originality/value – Few studies have empirically analyzed the role of libraries in upholding a democratic and sustainable public sphere. This study contributes in filling that gap.

The object of this article is to explore the political processes behind the regionalisation of film production in Sweden since the early 1990s and forward. What can explain the transfer of power from central government and film production companies to regionally based institutions? My thesis is that institutions matter. Institutions are seen as an intermediate level between state structures and rational choice/actor explanations. Institutions are equivalent to formal rules, compliance procedures and standard operation practices that structure the relationship between individuals in various units of the polity and economy. The redefinition of film production from national art policy to regional and local policy for development and economic growth is crucial. This redefinition also has to be seen in the light of the general trend towards regionalisation both in Sweden and internationally.

This work in progress aims to perform a comprehensive analysis of digital data publicly available from the Swedish parliament, such as motions, interpellations, and protocols from discussions in the plenum. To this end, we will use methods based on computational linguistics, such as topic modeling, word embeddings, and sentiment analysis, to identify prominent discourses corresponding to co-occurrence patterns of the words used. Using data from the early 1970s and onward, this project will involve a chronological examination of semantic and discursive changes with regard to topics such as equality, neutrality, the EU, the monarchy, immigration, climate change, and cultural policy. One research question that will be investigated in relation to this analysis is to what extent discursive changes can be detected within specific political parties, and what historical and political reasons can be posited to underlie these changes.Another research question focuses on scientometric aspects of how scholarly research is used to support claims made in the political discussion. With regard to this question, we will more specifically investigate the conceptual aspects of the texts surrounding citations (so-called citances) which will be mined for information such as what research is referred to in terms of individuals, position, disciplinary affiliations, and active research topics. In these citances, the significant content is often present as latent references that require further elucidation, together with an analysis of the sentiments expressed in the argumentation. This analysis will be further enhanced by investigating the usage of hedge terms that may indicate a level of uncertainty about the cited research. ; Data as Impact Lab

In both Finland and Sweden, decentralisation has traditionally been an essential cultural policy aim. This article explores how, by pursuing decentralisation, the regional jurisdictions have been presented with more possibilities to fulfil their purposes and in this way, gain legitimacy in cultural policy. Based on the analysis of political, legal, and administrative documents, three main periods of regional decentralisation in cultural policies are identified: regions as vehicles of welfare policy, regionalisation, and competitive regions. In both countries, national governments have promoted the regional level's agency, and in doing so, potential institutional change in cultural policy. However, the increase of the regional level's role has been limited by the countries' strongly institutionalised cultural policy systems. ; peerReviewed

In both Finland and Sweden, decentralisation has traditionally been an essential cultural policy aim. This article explores how, by pursuing decentralisation, the regional jurisdictions have been presented with more possibilities to fulfil their purposes and in this way, gain legitimacy in cultural policy. Based on the analysis of political, legal, and administrative documents, three main periods of regional decentralisation in cultural policies are identified: regions as vehicles of welfare policy, regionalisation, and competitive regions. In both countries, national governments have promoted the regional level's agency, and in doing so, potential institutional change in cultural policy. However, the increase of the regional level's role has been limited by the countries' strongly institutionalised cultural policy systems.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine the shaping of public libraries as an infrastructure for a sustainable public sphere through a comprehensive literature review. Design/methodology/approach: In order to capture the whole picture of this research field, we utilize comprehensive review methodology. The major research questions are: (1) To what extent have research topics regarding libraries as public sphere institutions expanded and diversified? Which theoretical perspectives inform research? (2) Which challenges and topics does the research focus upon, such as a. Social inclusion and equal access to information, b. Digital inequalities, c. Censorship and freedom of expression, and d. Access to places and spaces with a democratic potential and the role of libraries in that respect? (3) What influence has social media exerted on libraries in the context of the expanding digital world? Findings: We identified mainly four themes regarding the public library and public sphere, such as (1) the importance of public libraries by using Habermas's theory, (2) the function of meeting places within the public library and setting those places in the center of the library in order to enhance and encourage democracy, (3) the relationship between social inclusion and public libraries and its functions in current society such as diminishing the digital divide, (4) the emerging electronic resources and arena of SNS in public libraries and utilizing them to reach citizens. Originality/value: Capturing the recent history of this research field through comprehensive review is valuable. ; acceptedVersion