My research is primarily focused on social policy related to poverty, marginalization and social welfare. I´m currently working with the research study “Employers in municipal activation for the unemployed” focusing on local activation programs for welfare benefit recipients. I´m also Research leader for AKTIV, a collaboration network for researchers focusing on activation and social welfare.

My research also studies the development of food poverty and receipt and distribution of food aid from civil society organizations to poor citizens.  I am principal supervisor for PhD student Elinn Leo Sandberg and in collaboration with her conduct the research project “Food Aid from Civil Society”. My second PhD student Ana Karina Pastrana Polo also focus on food poverty and how it affects youths.  I am also supervisor för PhD student Amanda Börjeson-Hedman that studies labour market activation related to housing and homelessness.

I was working as a researcher for The World Bank from 2015-2018 conducting studies on increasing youth and female employment as well as developing social protection for poor citizens in Saudi Arabia. I lived in Riyadh during four years. In 2023 I conducted a follow up study for the World Bank on developing strategies for reducing poverty.

During 2013-2016 I was Head of Research for EconSec, Lund University Economic Security Institute, a cross-disciplinary research institute focusing on studies of the impact on economic security for individuals and society related to the increasing use of credit and debts. During 2014-15 I was leading an Advanced Study Group at the Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies, Lund University, with this cross-disciplinary research group and were also a member of the research group that was awarded a Theme research position during 2016 working with the research project "Credit society" at this institute.

Together with my colleagues Håkan Johansson, Max Koch and Alexandru Panican I received a grant from EU FP 7 for the three year research project "COPE, Combating Poverty in Europe Re-organising Active Inclusion through Participatory and Integrated Modes of Multilevel Governance." COPE was active from 2012-2015 and studied EU member states approaches to combating poverty and exclusion. From 2012-2014 I held a Post doc from the Faculty of Social Sciences Lund University and was employed in a tenure position during 2014.

Doctoral dissertation (2009): During the welfare crisis in the beginning of the nineties there was a striking increase of young people in need of social assistance. My doctoral dissertation studied the long-term consequences of early exclusion from the labour market for young adults who have remained in benefit dependency and unemployment. The research project used multiple methods, both qualitative and quantitative (longitudinal analyses of official register based data) in trying to accomplish a broad understanding of consequences of early exclusion. I continued this research in a comparative Nordic project on unemployment, establishment patterns and financial difficulties among young adults. Together with five Nordic research colleagues I was granted research funding from NORDCORP NOS-HS for the 4 year long project “Youth Trajectories: A Longitudinal Study of Risk Factors for Marginalization in Finland, Norway and Sweden." This project was active from 2009-2014.

In 2011 and 2012 I was engaged by "The Commission for a Socially Sustainable Malmö" to conduct research on strategies and policies aiming at reduction of child poverty. I have served as an expert in a Govermental Inquiry (SOU) as well as being a board member for the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society (currently MUCF). 

I supervised Jayeon Lee (formerly Lindellee) in her PhD research with the dissertation "Beyond retrenchment. Multi-pillarization of Swedish unemployment benefit provision" (2018). I was editor for the Jubilee book from School of Social Work that was published in 2022. I also held a position in the civil society founded commission NYSTA developing strategies relating to innovation, education and research during 2020-2021. I have been Chairman for Save the Children District Malmö and is currently serving as board member. I have also been engaged as a volunteer in the Majblomman foundation for poor children and Stadsmissionens night café and shelter for homeless or vulnerable citizens. 

Keywords

Social Sciences (poverty, activation, social policy, food poverty, social exclusion, unemployment, benefit dependency, child poverty)

I am currently Course director for “Professional Social Work” which is the final course of the BSc in Social Work. I have been employed at the School of Social Work, Lund University for more than 20 years and have been teaching and supervising on various courses and levels. In 2013 I was leading the doctoral introductory course at School of Social Work Lund University. I have also been Course director and developing an explorative and innovative course at this department where service users are included as students and study together with regular social work students. The course focuses on social mobilization, entrepreneurship and service user involvement in social services. The presence of the service users enables a wider perspective and understanding of service users own voice and experiences in relation to creating best practice in social policy and various services. In a collaboration with School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley I have in 2015 published an article on this in "Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work" and have also been invited to Berkeley to present this work in 2013.