Furthermore, participation is fundamental for selecting politicians and for holding them accountable. Even though political participation is such a crucial mechanism, there are still many unanswered research questions regarding who participates and why.
Political participation is one of my research areas. The purpose of my research is to answer some of those questions within the field that still lack a convincing answer. This includes the question of why some young people vote when others do not, and the question of why some people become habitual voters while some do not. These questions are addressed in my dissertation Growing into Voting: Election Turnout among Young People and Habit Formation.
Why do Swedish local politicians drop out?
In another research project, mainly funded by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, Gissur Ó Erlingsson and I study a sample of Swedish local politicians over a whole term – from their candidacy over the distribution of seats, the following term and the subsequent election. Our hope is that this data will help us to better understand the local politicians’ situation and why so many drop out before the end of their term.
Apart from political participation, I have also an interest in research about political opinions and values, social trust, public corruption and welfare services. My research is primarily focused on quantitative methods. I also teach at undergraduate level and as a part of the master’s program in political science and supervise undergraduate students.
