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PublicationBook chapter

EU:s Janusansikte

Abstract

Karlson, N. (2014). “EU:s Janusansikte”. In Karlson, N. (Eds.), Vilket EU vill vi ha? (pp. 129-152). Stockholm: Ratio.

Details

Author
Karlson, N.
Publication year
2014
Published in

Vilket EU vill vi ha?

Related

  • Professor, Founder and former CEO

    Nils Karlson

    +46708670351nils.karlson@ratio.se

Similar content

Article (with peer review)

Reviewing the EU policy nexus of energy efficiency and social policy

Nordensvard, J., Björklund, M., von Malmborg, F., La Fleur, L., Skogsmo, E., & Gamez, D. H. B.
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Publication year

2025

Published in

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse how the European Union (EU) energy policy has merged social policy concepts with energy efficiency policy. Energy efficiency has increasingly become understood through social policy concepts such as energy poverty, energy inequality, and lack of cohesion. Previous research has shown how the social aspects of energy efficiency have been highlighted by the European Commission when discussing the multiple benefits of increased energy efficiency efforts, such as building renovations.

Using a mixed-method approach with material from the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and the European Parliament, we review energy policy from a social policy perspective. The analysis is conducted in two steps. First, we identify which EU institutions acted as agenda-setters in introducing the social aspects of energy efficiency. Second, we describe and analyse the framing process through which social concepts are merged with energy policy.

The study combines qualitative and quantitative analyses of EU policy documents. A set of key words is used in the quantitative analysis to explore the links between social policy and energy policy.

We conclude that social aspects were first connected to the energy policy field by the European Parliament. This connection was later reinforced by the European Commission through the inclusion of social policy elements, particularly in policies addressing the transition to energy efficiency and zero-carbon buildings, where concepts such as energy poverty have become central.

Working paper

Working Paper No. 383 Insider activism in the forest industry: An empirical public choice analysis

Jonas Grafström & Nils Karlson
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Publication year

2025

Published in

Ratio Working Paper Series

Abstract

Insider activism—where bureaucrats use discretionary power to advance own ideological goals—has significant implications for regulatory stability and property rights security. Using the Swedish forestry industry as a case study, the purpose of this study is to investigate if insider activism affects the Swedish forestry sector and how such possible regulatory uncertainty influences economic decision-making. Assembled survey data suggest that forest owners perceive regulatory enforcement as unpredictable, leading to defensive actions such as premature harvesting to preempt restrictive future regulations. To explain these patterns, we apply public choice theory and a game-theoretic approach, demonstrating how bureaucratic drift, regulatory ratcheting, and time-inconsistency problems contribute to persistent distortions in forestry policies. Policy wise, the findings emphasize the need for judicial review, regulatory impact assessments, and clearer legislative mandates to reduce enforcement uncertainty and improve institutional trust. This research advances discussions on bureaucratic incentives, regulatory capture, and legal certainty in environmental policy.

Book

Reviving Classical Liberalism Against Populism

Karlson, N. (2024). Reviving Classical Liberalism Against Populism. Palgrave Macmillan Cham.

Publication year

2024

Published in

Palgrave Macmillan Cham.

Abstract

How can we fight back against the populist threat to liberty, free markets, and the open society?

This open access book by Nils Karlson explores the strategies used by left- and right-wing populists to make populism intelligible, recognizable, and contestable. Karlson argues that to fight back requires the revival of liberalism itself by defending and developing the liberal institutions, the liberal spirit, liberal narratives, and liberal statecraft. The book presents a synthesized explanatory model for how populists promote autocratization through the deliberate polarization of society and traces the ideational roots of the core populist ideas that form a collectivistic identity politics. Written within the tradition of political theory and institutional economics, this book uses a wide variety of sources, including results and analyses from social psychology, ethics, law, and history.

The book is open source and can be downloaded through the link below.

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