The paper investigates whether and how regional public transport plans in Sweden address issues of social justice. Drawing upon a theoretical and analytical framework based on Young’s concept of domination and using a critical discourse analysis conducted on regional transport plans in three Swedish regions (Skåne, Stockholm and Västra Götaland), we identify discourses potentially resulting from and reproducing domination dynamics. The analysis highlights the centrality of economic growth goals and the framing of public transport users as customers not involved in the decision-making processes, which contradicts the declared justice and sustainability aims of the plans. 

Despite discourses of contemporary high-mobility, a life characterised by high mobility is in sharp contrast to many people's experiences and personal preferences. Previous research has shown that mobility and transport opportunities are unevenly distributed in society. The paper explores how young unemployed people and low-skilled care workers in two Swedish urban municipalities prefer to travel less and stay local rather than undergoing time-consuming and expensive public transport trips. The results show that various temporal and spatial restrictions are significant regarding the extent to which public transport can cater for mobility needs, and that transport opportunities are part of an individual's opportunity to be socially included. The results indicate that other policy areas, such as the labour market policy and the public health policy, are equally important for social inclusion.

This paper is about collaboration in public transport governance. Drawing upon the emerging literature that views collaboration through the lens of networks, we explore why and how regional public transport authorities collaborate with both municipalities and public transport operators in the planning of public transport. We also explore the advantages and disadvantages of such collaborations. Based on interviews with civil servants (government officers) in the Swedish metropolitan regions of Stockholm, Vastra Gotaland and Scania, we conclude that collaboration is, firstly, a way for the regional public transport authorities (RPTA) to engage with the local municipalities and develop joint agreements on public transport priorities. It is also a way to build a common identity with the public transport operators, who operate services under tendered contracts. Secondly, we find that collaboration takes place during official meetings, as well as in informal conversations and face-to-face dialogues. Thirdly, the potential advantages and disadvantages of collaboration hinge on the ability of coordinating actors to put in place processes where the feasibility of plans can be established, and where a sense of common identity can be constructed.

Kollektivtrafik som kollektiv nyttighet upphandlas och organiseras av offentliga myndigheter men utförs av privata transportföretag. I omställningen mot hållbara transporter sägs kollektivtrafiken ha en viktig roll att spela. En viktig fråga att uppmärksamma är de hot och det våld som resenärer riktar mot de anställda. Vi har i ett projekt finansierat av AFA intervjuat bussförare och tågvärdar om deras erfarenheter av hot och våld. Vi har också intervjuat första linjens chefer om hur organisationen strategiskt arbetar med att förbättra säkerheten för bussförare och tågvärdar. Arbetsmiljön har förbättrats avsevärt sedan kontanthanteringen togs bort, men det är upp till den enskilde bussföraren och tågvärden att hantera hot- och våldssituationer när de uppstår. Företagen erbjuder sina medarbetare kurser i hot och våldshantering men de är inte obligatoriska att gå. Från intervjuerna med bussförare och tågvärdar framkommer också att de känner sig klämda mellan förväntningar från trafikhuvudmannen om att utföra kontroller och skriva ut fler kontrollavgifter, arbetsgivarens krav på rapportering och svårhanterliga rapporteringssystem och resenärernas förväntningar på dem som servicearbetare. Utifrån intervjuerna med både bussförare, tågvärdar och första linjens chefer behöver det strategiska arbetet med att hantera hot och våld som riktas mot medarbetare förbättras.

Public transport is a collective good, organized and procured by public authorities and delivered by private transport companies. In the overall shift towards sustainable transport, public transportation is a key contributor, however, people working in the public transport system, are exposed to violence and abuse during their working days by travellers. In this report, we have interviewed bus drivers and train conductors about their experiences of threats and violence. We have also interviewed first line managers on how the organizations are strategically working to improve the work environment and safety for bus drivers and train conductors. The situation has improved by e.g. removing the possibility to buy tickets cash on board. The problem still remains and when a situation occurs the individual bus driver or train conductor are left alone to deal with it. Training courses are offered to the employees, but are not compulsory, and according to the interviews with both first line managers and bus drivers and train conductors, the strategic work on how to deal with threats and violence needs to improve.

This paper analyzes how public transport planning is managed in institutional contexts where governance is spread across local and regional scales. The paper sheds light on two facets of the relationship between local and regional government: first, the decision-making process regarding where to provide public transport services and at what level, and second, integration of public transport with land use planning. An analytical matrix is used to cross-reference the roles of formal institutions (governance established in law) and informal institutions (governance not established in law) against local and regional responsibilities for public transport and land use. Analysis of the interplay between these three axes (formal/informal, local/regional, public transport/land use) reveals how informal institutions help regional and local authorities to negotiate the constraints of formal, statutory institutions and help to oil the wheels of delivering measures and policies that make public transport work as a well-functioning system. However, informal institutions clearly have their limits, in the paper exemplified by the remaining challenges to integrate regional public transport and local land use planning. An identified challenge is that, by their very nature, informal institutions are difficult to influence or modify, therefore relying on them to fill gaps in formal institutional responsibilities may be a risky strategy when unpopular decisions are made.

Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to reveal gendered leadership constructs that hinder a competency-based view of leadership in Swedish-based global companies and the implications for leadership recruitment and development to top management positions. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews, which have been analyzed using a gender analytic framework to identify how senior management, Human resource management and leadership trainees are discussing leadership and career development. Findings – Three themes were identified as clouding the issue of gender-equal leadership practices thereby creating an opaque gendered lens of who is defined as eligible for leadership positions. The three themes were: symbols as gendered images, counting heads – preserving the existing system and illusive gender inclusion. Research limitations/implications – Recruitment practices were identified as contributors to homosocial practices that perpetuate male-dominated leadership representation. However, specific recruitment practices were not fully explored. Practical implications – The potential use of gender equality as a sustainable management practice for competitive organizations to recruit and develop talented people. Social implications – To create resilient and gender-equal recruitment and leadership development practices. Originality/value – This research offers an original perspective on gender representation at the senior management level in global companies by revealing gendered leadership constructs in the leadership recruitment and development process as antecedents to unequal gender representation in senior management positions.

Denna rapport sammanfattar forskningsprojektet Implementering av metod för jämställdhetskonsekvensbedömning (JKB) i svensk transportinfrastrukturplanering som inleddes år 2013. Syftet med projektet har varit att vidareutveckla och testa modellen för Jämställdhetskonsekvensbedömning (JKB) som föreslås i rapporten Kön i Trafiken. 1 Särskilt lades fokus på de jämställdhetspolitiska målen om ekonomisk jämställdhet samt jämn fördelning av det obetalda hem- och omsorgsarbetet. Vidare syftade projektet till att kartlägga kunskapsbehov (om jämställdhet) och att utforma en fortbildningskurs på högskolenivå i JKB för yrkesverksamma inom transportplaneringen. Projektet utgick från de transportpolitiska målen om jämställdhet och de nationella jämställdhetsmålen. Särskilt lades fokus på de jämställdhetspolitiska målen om ekonomisk jämställdhet samt jämn fördelning av det obetalda hem- och omsorgsarbetet eftersom dessa mål visat sig extra svåra att verksamhetsanpassa i transportplaneringen. Tidigare forskning visar att målen om ekonomisk jämställdhet och jämn fördelning av det obetalda hem- och omsorgsarbetet, kan hanteras bäst i tidiga skeden av planeringen och att dessa mål har stor betydelse på en övergripande nivå när platser för sysselsättning, utbildning och försörjning knyts ihop med platser för boende och andra aktiviteter i människors vardagsliv.2 Det innebär till exempel satsningar på regionala pendlingsstråk, att transportlösningar integreras i regionala utvecklingsmål och arbetet med att förstärka medborgarnas tillgång till nya arbetsmarknadsregioner (regionförstoring). Tidigare forskning visar också att ökad pendling gynnar mäns karriärutveckling i högre utsträckning och att kvinnor som grupp, har svårare att dra nytta av regionförstoringens fördelar.3 Vart fjärde–femte år utformas en länstransportplan för var och en av de 20 regionerna i Sverige. Dessa planer ligger till grund för satsningar inom transportområdet för 10–15 år framåt i tiden. Planerna används vid prioriteringar av större satsningar på såväl nationell, regional och lokal nivå. Det är således ett viktigt övergripande arbete som utförs av regionerna.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss and problematise how leadership and employees, or “employeeship”, are constructed within IKEA, a global firm often associated with national identity, and connected to distinct values and a leadership ideal. From a critical management perspective, the authors' intent was to study whether there were hierarchies and polarisations in constructions of leadership and, if so, how they were manifested. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical material consists of 17 interviews with Swedish and non-Swedish managers at the senior management level and internal documents. Findings – The analysis of the empirical material supports the finding that employees are constructed in superior vs subordinate positions based on beliefs about nationality (ethnicity), wherein the construction of Swedishness is ranked above other nationalities. Based on these constructions, two different dimensions of a leader emerge. The first dimension is one of leading and supporting, which involves personal development and is regarded as something positive. The second dimension involves being a manager, which is perceived as conservative, dreary and unappealing. Originality/value – The study illustrates how leaders in a global firm construct hierarchies and polarisation in the daily work.

This paper investigates differences in stress related symptoms among men and women in the high-touch sector. The new high-touch sector has been defined as low skilled, generic, and customer oriented jobs in, for example, restaurants, hotels and trade. In the high-touch sector influence over work is eroded by uncertainty and insecure employment conditions. There is reason to believe that people with insecure conditions might be more vulnerable for stress related symptoms. Also, the young, and specifically young women, are overrepresented in this sector. We know from earlier research that women more often report stress related symptoms than men. This study confirms these results. In this study the probability for women is 50% higher to be hit by stress related symptoms than for men. Also education shows a significant result. The highly educated has 50 percent lower probability than the low educated to be hit by stress related symptoms. However, high-touch occupations show no significant difference from other occupations when it comes to stress.