Thanks to the listeners’ questions, Mikael Rundqvist, associate professor in political science, joins Helena Iacobaeus in a vivid fireside chat on music and politics! They bring up music that aims to change society for the better and music for expressing political visions or dystopias. Have meeting and bonding through music been a source of empowerment in freedom movements and democracy movements in history? They talk about political music they grew up with, but they also address songs that might say something important about society today. Or have we already reached the end of musical history? Is there a song list? Of course there is. -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

What can be done when a local municipality lacks resources to take on the challenges of today? One way is to pool resources by cooperating with neighbouring municipalities. In this episode, Katarina Sandberg, PhD candidate in political science, talks about her research on municipalities that take on challenges together. How common is intermunicipal cooperation? Could it be problematic from the point of view of democratic accountability or is it a welcome solution to common problems? Tune in to hear Katarina reflect on this and on her experiences of cultural differences and winds of change during her recent stay as a guest PhD candidate at Berkeley, US! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

What can be done to strengthen democracy in Europe? What are the main obstacles for legitimacy and accountability in supranational decision-making? Based on his research on the European Union, Martin Björklund, PhD student in political science, talks about legitimacy, identity, challenges and values. Tune in to listen to our talk on where the European Union might be headed! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Junior football leagues, choirs, environmental organisations and knitting clubs… what do they have to do with politics? What role - if any - does civil society play for a well-functioning democracy? Based on her research on local democracy, trust, discontent and participation, Susanne Wallman Lundåsen, senior assistant professor, talks about the role that civil society plays in building and strengthening democracy. Tune in to hear Susanne reflect on a key aspect of democracy! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Curious about research for democracy? Or about PhD life in general? A few weeks before her thesis defense, Helena looks back at her journey towards a finished thesis and deals with collected listeners’ questions on PhD life. Against a backdrop of her earlier meetings with guests from a wide range of research fields, she reflects on the many ways to approach democracy research. Together with guest host Dr. Carl-Johan Sommar, they also discuss experiences from PhD life and share tips on writing, coping, and on how to pull through in a long-lasting project. Honeytraps and imposter syndrome, do’s, don’ts and the beauty of new insights – tune in if you want to know more about PhD life! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, Professor Elin Wihlborg returns to talk about literacy in a modern era, when digital skills and media literacy are important parts of our abilities to understand society and express ourselves. Elin is professor in political science with a broad background from welfare and democracy research and specialised in studies of how digitalisation of society affects interaction between political structures and the everyday life of citizens. The research in RIDE – Resilient institutions in a digital era – mentioned in the episode can be found here. Tune in to hear Elin’s thoughts on literacy and how it can help against misinformation and propaganda. -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

What role does social equality play in a functioning democracy? Is representation important in politics, media and culture? Magnus Dahlstedt, Professor of Social Work and writer, makes a stop in the studio during his current book tour and talks about the effects of inequality in politics and education. Based on his research on segregated cities and vulnerable groups, he highlights the importance of representation and social equality. Tune in to hear Magnus’ reflections on a key aspect of democracy – and perhaps a few tips on how to ‘bubble hop’ or wake up students with the help of rock music!

“I’m a little bit shocked!” Tune in to hear about sexual abuse of power, an often-overlooked form of corruption. In this engaging episode, associate professor Silje Lundgren from the department of Thematic Studies talks about current research on sexual corruption as a threat against democratic procedure and bodily integrity. What is sexual abuse of power, where can we find it, and why has it not been widely recognised as corruption until very recently? How can it be prevented – and do we need to shift focus to do so? For further reading, the International Association of Women Judges that is mentioned in the episode can be found here, and the blog post on sexual corruption by Silje and her colleagues is available here. -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Is the introduction of artificial intelligence and robots in the public sector an opportunity or a challenge for public values and for democracy? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, Daniel Toll, PhD student in information systems, talks about his field work in municipalities and his newly finished thesis on technologies in the frontline of digitalization in public service. What can we do to safe-guard public values in modern public service and decision-making? Is artificial intelligence the road to salvation or the beginning of the Matrix – or none of the above? And what is it really like to have a robot colleague? Tune in to hear more! Information on Daniel’s upcoming thesis defence that is mentioned in the episode can be found here. -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Who are the public servants, and what impact does their work have in our lives? Are they perhaps devoted and justservants of the people - guardians of democracy – or are they rather dishonest and arbitrary? Based on earlier research and on her own research on street-level bureaucracy, PhD student Helena Iacobaeus argues that reality is more complex than these two extremes, but that there are things we can do to promote good sides of public institutions and create incentives for public servants as guardians of democracy. Tune in to listen to the summer episode of Aspects of Democracy! After that, the next episode will be released on September 1st. Have a nice summer! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Are literature and culture important to democracy? Is the public library a book storage or a democratic living room - or is it perhaps a flexible resource as well as a room? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, I meet Johanna Vernqvist, associate professor in comparative literature, and we talk about the role of libraries and reading, partly based on her fascinating research at the library of Löfstad Castle and the women in and behind the book collection. Tune in to hear about poetry, empowerment and age-old leatherbound books! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. Photo credit: Anna Nilsen -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

All year round, democracy is repeatedly and discreetly upheld in local council meetings. But what happens if these meetings disappear as a physical place? Fredrik Garcia, PhD student in political science, is writing a thesis on city council meetings and shares results on effects that COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing had on local decision-making. This episode touches on big topics such as the birth of democracy and gender differences in floor time in politics, but also mentions the little things such as the upside and woe of starting a PhD with earlier work life experiences. Read the article mentioned in the episode on council meetings during the pandemic. Tune in to hear about the local political arena – or what the ancient Greek might call the Agora – of today! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Podcast anniversary! We celebrate by looking forward into the future. What we decide today and how we live our lives will also affect coming generations. Veronica Brodén Gyberg, associate professor at Linköping university, talks about sustainability and about her research on preconditions for just climate adaptation. The end of the cross-disciplinary project on just transition in Sweden mentioned in the episode was marked by a roundtable, panel and arts exhibition. The exhibition was created together with citizens of the studied places. Another example of Veronica’s engagement in cross-disciplinary work is the research project on sustainable management of Amazon forest which is a collaboration between natural and social scientists to explore win-win solutions for resource utilization and climate mitigation. Join us to hear her reflect on the world we create for future generations! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, Professor Claudia Tazreiter reflects on a fundamental right in modern democracy – freedom of speech. How can we safeguard this right and are there limits where freedom of speech might conflict with other rights? Based on her work in the Scholars at Risk network, an international network for protection of threatened scholars and promotion of academic freedom, she also talks about the importance of freedom to study, research, and teach without facing threats and oppression. Claudia’s research focuses on the impacts of forced and irregular migration on human rights culture, the role of civil society in social change, and gender in migration. She is also currently Swedish representative in the European Advocacy Committee. Tune in to hear her reflect on a key aspect of democracy!  -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

What is the meaning of citizenship and is this kind of “nation-state membership” still relevant in a global world? Dr. Mariana S. Gustafsson, assistant professor in political science joins the podcast to talk about citizenship as a concept and about the individual citizen’s voice, choice and engagement in relation to the state. The poem Helena is spontaneously mistranslating in the episode is Nils Ferlin’s “Si världen är förklarad”. Join us to hear Mariana’s reflections on citizenship! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Today’s episode focuses on trust. What makes us trust each other, and how can the level of trust in society affect democracy? Are there differences between age groups or between cities and rural areas in this aspect? Based on his research, Dr Richard Öhrvall, assistant professor at the Centre for Local Government Studies at LiU, talks about trust between people in local communities but also about the importance of stable and fair institutions that can form a base for trust among the population. Ring in 2024 with our New Year’s episode! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

How can democratic states cope with and recover from hardship like pandemics, unrest, and war? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, Professor Irina Kolupaieva joins us to reflect on resilience in times of crisis. With examples from her own research on digital resilience and democratization through public administration, she talks about how to work for resilient institutions and solutions in unstable times. Irina is a Professor from Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics in Ukraine and, currently, guest researcher in Economics at Linköping University. Join us to hear her reflect on the importance of resilience! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Today we address the classic issue of education – what do you need to know in order to be an active citizen? Andreas Fejes, professor of adult education, talks about the importance of educated citizens, both at an individual level and for a lively democracy in general. With examples from research in folk high schools, municipal adult education and study associations, he connects education to the ability of citizenship acts and claiming of rights. Tune in to hear about his views on education as a key aspect of democracy! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

What is the role of the politician and who are suitable to fill that role? Except for voting, what more can we do as citizens to ensure that we get able, skilled, and compassionate politicians? In this episode of Aspects of Democracy, Daniel Bladh, PhD student in education and adult learning, talks about elected representatives based on his research on political party schooling and learning in politics. The thesis mentioned in the episode - Didactical choices in the political party democracy – was presented on September 29th and can be found here. -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast

Today’s episode brings up minority rights and minority voices in majority governance. What can minority rights mean and how have they been addressed in modern history and current research? Are they important to safeguard, and what happens if we don’t? To illustrate the relation and potential conflicts between majority rule and minority rights, associate professor Khalid Khayati takes us on a journey through state formation, diasporic living conditions, French philosophy, Canadian multiculturalism, the Arab spring, and budding democratisation movements. Khalid wrote his thesis on the diasporic communities and transnational relations among Kurds in Sweden and France and is currently carrying out research on Middle Eastern politics and democratisation movements in the Middle East and northern Africa. Tune in to hear him reflect on minority rights as a key aspect of democracy! -- The podcast series is brought to you by the political science unit at Linköping University and hosted by Helena Iacobaeus, PhD student in political science. For questions or suggestions on topics, e-mail helena.iacobaeus@liu.se. Intro music credit: ZakharValaha from Pixabay. -- Listen to more podcasts from Linkoping University: https://liu.se/en/podcast