Umeå University's logo

umu.sePublications
Change search
Link to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Lindgren, Joakim, DrORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0003-2167-6299
Alternative names
Publications (10 of 112) Show all publications
Lindgren, J., Benerdal, M., Carlbaum, S. & Rönnberg, L. (2025). 247 inspectorates: Swedish municipalities as guarantees of quality in private preschools?. In: : . Paper presented at NERA 2025: Helsinki, Finland, March 5-7, 2025.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>247 inspectorates: Swedish municipalities as guarantees of quality in private preschools?
2025 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Refereed)
National Category
Other Social Sciences
Research subject
educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-239231 (URN)
Conference
NERA 2025: Helsinki, Finland, March 5-7, 2025
Funder
Swedish Research Council
Available from: 2025-05-26 Created: 2025-05-26 Last updated: 2025-05-26Bibliographically approved
Benerdal, M., Carlbaum, S., Lindgren, J. & Rönnberg, L. (2025). Doing and living (non)competition: Experiences from local preschool quasi-markets in Sweden. In: : . Paper presented at NERA 2025: Helsinki, Finland March 5-7, 2025.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Doing and living (non)competition: Experiences from local preschool quasi-markets in Sweden
2025 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Refereed)
National Category
Social Sciences
Research subject
educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-239230 (URN)
Conference
NERA 2025: Helsinki, Finland March 5-7, 2025
Funder
Swedish Research Council
Available from: 2025-05-26 Created: 2025-05-26 Last updated: 2025-05-26Bibliographically approved
Carlbaum, S., Lindgren, J., Benerdal, M. & Rönnberg, L. (2025). Navigating legal discourses in quasi-markets: juridification and privatisation in Swedish local preschool governance. Journal of education policy
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Navigating legal discourses in quasi-markets: juridification and privatisation in Swedish local preschool governance
2025 (English)In: Journal of education policy, ISSN 0268-0939, E-ISSN 1464-5106Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

The education sector has been increasingly affected by legal discourse, new managerialism, litigation, burgeoning regulation and accountability involving inspections and audits, and rises in lawsuits. These processes have been described as juridification and have complex effects. In this paper we focus on juridification’s impact on preschool governance during times of increased privatisation in Sweden. We aim to unpack links between juridification and privatisation by analysing the multifaceted issues of how law, litigation and legal discourse become manifested and are navigated by various actors in local preschool quasi-market governance. The results show how intricate connections between juridification and privatisation tend to make public and private relations more legalistic, contract-based and competitive. Juridification and privatisation also increase conformity in terms of, for instance, pedagogical profiles, practices and organisational structures. In addition, these inter-related processes promote and largely benefit corporate group formation and expansion as legal knowledge and economic resources to navigate local preschool quasi-market governance become increasingly essential. This starkly contrasts with the core ostensible objectives of privatisation and marketisation reforms – to promote diversity, pluralism, and a wide range of preschool options for parents.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2025
Keywords
early childhood education and care, juridificaton, marketisation, preschool, privatisation, Sweden
National Category
Educational Sciences Public Administration Studies
Research subject
educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-234228 (URN)10.1080/02680939.2025.2452202 (DOI)001396403300001 ()2-s2.0-85214942144 (Scopus ID)
Projects
Förskolan som marknad
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2020-03157Umeå University, FS 2.1.6-390-21
Available from: 2025-01-17 Created: 2025-01-17 Last updated: 2025-02-21
Carlbaum, S., Rönnberg, L., Benerdal, M. & Lindgren, J. (2025). Selling and buying preschools: Experiences of business transfers on the Swedish edu-market. In: : . Paper presented at NERA 2025: Helsinki, Finland March 5-7, 2025.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Selling and buying preschools: Experiences of business transfers on the Swedish edu-market
2025 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Refereed)
National Category
Social Sciences
Research subject
educational work; educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-239228 (URN)
Conference
NERA 2025: Helsinki, Finland March 5-7, 2025
Funder
Swedish Research Council
Available from: 2025-05-26 Created: 2025-05-26 Last updated: 2025-05-26Bibliographically approved
Lindgren, J., Rönnberg, L., Benerdal, M. & Laurin, E. (2024). Exploring the 'Student Health Market': Swedish municipalities as buyers of commercial resources. In: : . Paper presented at NERA (Nordic Educational Research Association), March 6 - 8, 2024, Malmö, Sweden (pp. 82-82). NERA (Nordic Educational Research Association)
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Exploring the 'Student Health Market': Swedish municipalities as buyers of commercial resources
2024 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Research topic/aimIncreasing health issues among school children is a critical concern, given its profound and far-reaching implications across multiple domains. As principal organisers, the 290 Swedish municipalities are responsible for student health provision in theirschools. Still, they often struggle with the complexities of various health promotion strategies and preventative measures,addressing problems such as bullying, absenteeism, and low academic achievements, as well as hiring staff to implementsuch measures. In this context, commercial entities offer a range of student health resources to municipalities. Still, we knowvery little about which and how such commercial resources are purchased, used, and experienced in schools and municipalities. This paper, therefore, aims to undertake an initial exploration of experiences associated with the sale,procurement, and utilization of commercial resources in student health, from the perspective of Swedish municipalities.

Theoretical frameworkAnalytically, we use the notion of projectification (Fred & Godenhjelm, 2023), encompassing the increasing reliance in thepublic sector on projects, seen as ‘temporary organisations’ (Sahlin-Andersson & Söderholm, 2002). Located in the widerliterature on Scandinavian institutionalism (Czarniawska & Savon, 2005), projectification is used as a lens to “scrutinise thelogic, politics and power behind temporary (or temporalities of) initiatives as well as their practices, contexts andconsequences” (Fred & Godenhjelm, 2023, p. 8).

Methodological designThis study is part of the project Student health as a market (VR 2022-03782), and we draw on interviews from 30 municipalstudent health officers (or equivalent) from municipalities with varying demographic and socio-economic conditions. Thesampling was based on Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions’ categorisation of municipalities. The interviews,lasting around 60 minutes, included questions on purchases and motives, but also more generally on the organisation andexperience of municipal-private actor interaction in the context of student health services.

Expected conclusions/findingsThe analysis shows that for instance staffing, different forms of consultancy and digital systems often are purchased fromprivate actors. There are certain and important variations in the interview data, relating to contextual and geographicalcharacteristics in the studied municipalities. Still, certain commonalities are also to be found, for instance on the rise ofdigitally based solutions marketed by private companies argued to resolve challenges that Sweden’s municipalities arefacing. The informants identify both challenges and benefits in relation to the commercial school health solutions, which weseek to unpack and problematise.

Relevance to Nordic educational researchThe paper sheds light on the evolving commercial landscape of student health, and thereby contributes to the broaderdiscussion of the many faces of public-private interactions in education – issues of central relevance to all Nordic countriesand beyond.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
NERA (Nordic Educational Research Association), 2024
National Category
Educational Sciences Economics and Business
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-222990 (URN)
Conference
NERA (Nordic Educational Research Association), March 6 - 8, 2024, Malmö, Sweden
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2022-03782
Available from: 2024-04-04 Created: 2024-04-04 Last updated: 2024-04-05Bibliographically approved
Rönnberg, L., Benerdal, M., Carlbaum, S. & Lindgren, J. (2024). Förskola, marknad och kommunal styrning. In: Håkan Forsberg; Esbjörn Larsson; Andreas Alm Fjellborg (Ed.), Förskolans expansion och marknadisering: . Paper presented at Nordic Educational Research Association: Rethinking the futures of education in the Nordic countries (NERA 2020), Turku, Finland, March 4-6, 2020 (pp. 75-97). Paper presented at Nordic Educational Research Association: Rethinking the futures of education in the Nordic countries (NERA 2020), Turku, Finland, March 4-6, 2020. Lund: Studentlitteratur AB
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Förskola, marknad och kommunal styrning
2024 (Swedish)In: Förskolans expansion och marknadisering / [ed] Håkan Forsberg; Esbjörn Larsson; Andreas Alm Fjellborg, Lund: Studentlitteratur AB, 2024, p. 75-97Chapter in book (Refereed)
Abstract [sv]

Under de senaste decennierna har frågor om marknadisering alltmer kommit i blickfånget i den offentliga debatten om skola och utbildning. Ofta har diskussionen rört grund- och gymnasieskolan, men denna utveckling rör också i allra högsta grad förskolan. Detta kapitel behandlar hur förskolan som marknad styrs och hur detta tar sig uttryck med ett fokus på kommunens centrala roll som marknadsorganisatör. Därigenom vill vi ge läsaren en referensram och en begreppsapparat för att beskriva och förstå förskolans marknadsutsättning samt att stimulera till vidare reflektion och diskussion om hur denna situation i förlängningen kan påverka förskoleverksamheten och de yrkesverksammas arbete.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Lund: Studentlitteratur AB, 2024
National Category
Educational Sciences
Research subject
educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-227740 (URN)9789144164250 (ISBN)
Conference
Nordic Educational Research Association: Rethinking the futures of education in the Nordic countries (NERA 2020), Turku, Finland, March 4-6, 2020
Projects
Förskolan som marknad (Vetenskapsrådet 2020-03157)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2020-03157
Available from: 2024-07-06 Created: 2024-07-06 Last updated: 2024-08-06Bibliographically approved
Carlbaum, S., Lindgren, J., Benerdal, M. & Rönnberg, L. (2024). In the name of equity and quality: juridification in swedish local preschool quasi-markets. In: : . Paper presented at NERA, March 6-8, 2024, Malmö, Sweden (pp. 165-166). The Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA)
Open this publication in new window or tab >>In the name of equity and quality: juridification in swedish local preschool quasi-markets
2024 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
The Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA), 2024
National Category
Educational Work
Research subject
educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-239835 (URN)
Conference
NERA, March 6-8, 2024, Malmö, Sweden
Funder
Swedish Research Council
Available from: 2025-06-09 Created: 2025-06-09 Last updated: 2025-06-11Bibliographically approved
Lindgren, J., Benerdal, M., Carlbaum, S. & Rönnberg, L. (2024). Neoliberalism and managerial governance in the Swedish pre-school sector. Critical Policy Studies
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Neoliberalism and managerial governance in the Swedish pre-school sector
2024 (English)In: Critical Policy Studies, ISSN 1946-0171, E-ISSN 1946-018XArticle in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

Tax-funded private provision of welfare services in Sweden is among the most extensive in Europe. This paper focuses on a contradictory example of how discrepancies between neoliberal ideals and practice are embedded in the governance of Swedish preschool. Over time, national and local regulations in Sweden have become increasingly comprehensive and moved toward managerial systems. Using Alain Enthoven’s model of managed competition, and drawing on documents and interviews, this paper focuses on two right-wing, urban municipalities with a very high share of preschools operated by private actors, and their organization of local preschool quasi-markets in terms of so-called sponsors concerning five functions: establishing rules of equity, approving all participating private pre-schools, managing the enrollment process, creating price-elastic demand, and managing risk-selection. The findings show how instead of limiting bureaucratic power, municipal managers have been empowered to plan and optimize the organization of the preschool sector in ways discordant with neoliberal ideas.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2024
Keywords
Managed competition, neoliberalism, new public management, preschool
National Category
Educational Sciences Public Administration Studies
Research subject
educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-232211 (URN)10.1080/19460171.2024.2424406 (DOI)001350620700001 ()2-s2.0-85209585331 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2020-03157
Available from: 2024-11-27 Created: 2024-11-27 Last updated: 2025-02-21
Rönnberg, L., Lindgren, J., Benerdal, M. & Carlbaum, S. (2024). The affective dimensions of 'market stewardship': Swedish municipalities and private ECEC providers. In: : . Paper presented at NERA Congress, 6-8 March, 2024, Malmö, Sweden (pp. 677). The Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA)
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The affective dimensions of 'market stewardship': Swedish municipalities and private ECEC providers
2024 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
The Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA), 2024
National Category
Educational Work
Research subject
educational work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-239834 (URN)
Conference
NERA Congress, 6-8 March, 2024, Malmö, Sweden
Funder
Swedish Research Council
Available from: 2025-06-09 Created: 2025-06-09 Last updated: 2025-06-11Bibliographically approved
Carlbaum, S., Lindgren, J., Benerdal, M. & Rönnberg, L. (2024). The local market makers: Swedish municipalities as preschool quasi-market organisers. Education Inquiry, 15(1), 63-84
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The local market makers: Swedish municipalities as preschool quasi-market organisers
2024 (English)In: Education Inquiry, E-ISSN 2000-4508, Vol. 15, no 1, p. 63-84Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

National policies aiming at marketisation and privatisation in welfare sectors such as Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) require governance and organisation to be realised. In Sweden, the municipalities are key but largely under-researched organisers for preschool quasi-market infrastructures. This study explores the different ways in which Swedish municipalities act as quasi-market organisers in the preschool setting. Following organisational theory, we analyse their market shaping activities in translating national regulations in efforts to influence, support and control their local preschool quasi-market. Documents, websites, and interviews with public officials from 30 municipalities characterised as having either a large (N = 10), medium (N = 10), or small (N = 10) private ECEC sector are analysed. The analysis highlights large variations on how municipalities act as market makers, which is further discussed in the form of three ideal types: the Frontier, the Keeper, and the Endorser. We conclude that municipalities' varying and hybridised market shaping activities and local characteristics are important to understand the implications that emerge in terms of different rules of the game, stakeholder interdependencies and relationships, composition of market actors etc. Attentiveness to the sub-national/local actors are essential in understanding different welfare quasi-markets within national policy frameworks of marketisation and privatisation.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2024
Keywords
local governance, market organisation, market stewardship, privatisation, quasi-market
National Category
Public Administration Studies Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-212494 (URN)10.1080/20004508.2023.2234649 (DOI)001029526400001 ()2-s2.0-85165329797 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2020-03157
Note

Published online: 18 Jul 2023

Available from: 2023-08-01 Created: 2023-08-01 Last updated: 2025-02-21Bibliographically approved
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0003-2167-6299

Search in DiVA

Show all publications