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This research note contains the third update of the research program “A promised land? Drivers, challenges and opportunities related to the (green) industrialization of Northern Sweden,” (nr. M22-0029) awarded by the Swedish Riksbankens Jubileumsfond’s in 2022. The document summarizes work in progress and is updated annually in different versions according to the requirements of the program. 

This interdisciplinary program aims to understand the economic, social, and political challenges and opportunities of the ongoing industrial transformation in northern Sweden. A key element of the program is to identify drivers, obstacles, and preconditions in a historical, present, and forward-looking process-perspective. 

Background and purpose: Loneliness is a complex public health issue that can lead to increased morbidity, with higher prevalence among older adults. Social prescribing may be one way to ease loneliness. This study aims to explore stakeholders’ perceptions of prerequisites for implementing a social prescribing program in a Swedish context.

Method: Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse individual semi-structured interviews with eleven stakeholders whose experience were considered relevant for implementing a social prescribing program in the Swedish context. They were selected to provide diverse perspectives related to organisation, position, and geography.

Results: From the analysis three themes were constructed; Where to implement–Necessity to bridge organisational gaps, How to implement–Balancing professional expectations, and For whom to implement–Addressing those with ‘real’ needs. These themes highlight the perceived prerequisites, including barriers and facilitators, for successful implementation of social prescribing.

Conclusions: The participants’ perceptions are suggesting that Sweden has several practical advantages in place for implementing social prescribing, such as robust organisations responsible for citizens’ health and well-being and a range of activities available. If organisations can collaborate by prioritizing patients’ needs and overcoming organisational divisions and responsibilities, there is potential for successfully implementing social prescribing in Sweden in the future. Nevertheless, implementation may be hampered by limited resources within health care, and challenges to evaluate program effects.

Using a broad range of materials (media and interviews), we analyse the development of three green megaprojects in the two northernmost regions of Sweden. We find support for the presence of a strong ideological fantasy tied to a few “green heroes”, supporting the notion that the investments are the ultimate answer not only to climate crisis but also to the territory’s perceived left-behindness. The symbolic construction of the fantasy also contributes to the production of killjoys through marginalizing and feminizing opposition to the megaprojects. Our analysis thereby points to the importance of a feminist intervention and critique of the neoliberal ideology that frames green megaprojects.

This research note contains an update of the research program “A promised land? Drivers, challenges and opportunities related to the (green) industrialization of Northern Sweden,” (nr. M22-0029) awarded by the Swedish Riksbankens Jubileumsfond’s in 2022. The document summarizes work in progress and is updated annually in different versions according to the requirements of the program. 

This interdisciplinary program aims to understand the economic, social, and political challenges and opportunities of the ongoing industrial transformation in northern Sweden. A key element of the program is to identify drivers, obstacles, and preconditions in a historical, present, and forward-looking process-perspective.