Hans Westlund
Biographic Data
| ID | 2120904 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hans Westlund |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hans |
| FAMILY NAME | Westlund |
| SIGNATURE | WESTLUND H |
| AFFILIATIONS | KTH Royal Institute of Technology |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2080-6859 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 40 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 437 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 37 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 3 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Back to the countryside? Remote work and counterurbanisation in Denmark and Sweden
This study examines migration from Copenhagen and Stockholm's capital city areas (CCA) to rural destinations (2014-2023), focusing on migrant characteristics, COVID-19's impact, and the role of remote work. Utilising longitudinal micro-register data and logistic regression, we analyse counterurbanisation patterns in two Nordic countries sharing cultural similarities but differing markedly in population density and geography. The findings reveal f…
Urban-rural integration in China: The role of the rural homestead transfer in different rural areas
Decoding regional dynamics: Institutions, innovation, and regional development in the EU
The importance of institutions and innovation for regional development is well established. How these two factors interact under different historical legacies and urban-regional contexts remains, however, insufficiently understood. This paper identifies which combinations of institutional and innovation indicators most effectively classify regions into distinct developmental archetypes, revealing critical thresholds that redirect regional traject…
Rent Seekers in the Interest of Society? Civil Organizations and Regional Innovation in China
What contributes to innovation quantity and quality in a given geographic space? This paper provides a novel perspective by exploring the effect of civil organizations. A straightforward framework is constructed to understand the institutional context of government behaviors in China. Using regional data from 2010 to 2022, this paper discovers that civil organizations positively correlated with innovation output. Notably, Olson organizations prov…
Counterurbanization in China? A case study of counties in Huang-Huai-Hai area from the perspective of urban-rural relations
For decades, China's urbanization has primarily involved trans-regional migration from inland areas to major city regions along the coast or within the interior. As urban-rural disparities diminish, China has transitioned to intra-regional urbanization. However, there remains a gap in understanding the effects of this transition of urban-rural relations within China. This study focuses on counties as the fundamental research unit, examining net m…
Coworking and local development outside metropolitan areas in Sweden
Through a mixed methods approach, this paper explores how coworking as a phenomenon manifests itself in Sweden, and, using the foundations of agglomeration economy theory as a lens, discusses what impact the occurrence of coworking spaces might have on local and regional development in Sweden's rural regions. Our findings show that the occurrence of coworking providers in Sweden is much more widespread than previously known, as there are far more…
Will female managers support gender equality? The study of “Queen Bee” syndrome in China
This research aimed to study queen bee syndrome in China. Results from a nationwide survey (Chinese General Social Survey) revealed that female managers are less likely to defend the existing gender hierarchy. We also found that female managers are analogous to men in many other aspects, such as hobbies and values. Female managers adopt a mixed strategy to deal with social identity threats. Individual characteristics, such as educational attainme…
Amenities and new firm formation in rural areas
Building on the neo-endogenous rural development model and the resource-based view of the firm, this paper investigates the role of place-based amenities for new firm formation. Empirically, we employ a full-population dataset encompassing new firms in Sweden from 2009 to 2016, combined with geocoded datasets with the spatial distribution of nature- and culture-based amenities. The results show that local amenities are indeed important factors in…
Urban Economy
This entry provides a broad overview of contemporaneous issues in modern cities and city systems, seen from an economic perspective. In our “urban century,” cities tend to become engines of economic, social, and political influence which may even have global footprints. On the basis of an extensive literature review, the strategic role of cities in the current dynamic and technologically advanced space economy is highlighted.
Agriculture's transformation and land-use change in a post-urban world: A case study of the Stockholm region
Determinants of Social Networks in Rural China: Does Transportation Have a Role to Play
Objectives In recent years, the origins and sources of social networks and social capital have been extensively studied. Previous studies have primarily focused on social demographic factors. To enrich our understanding of the determinants of social networks, this article explores the role of mobility in rural China. Methods Drawing upon a data set from the Chinese General Social Survey, this article first uses clustered effect logit models and t…
Why some rural areas decline while some others not: An overview of rural evolution in the world
China’s rapid urban ascent: An examination into the components of urban growth
Having gone from 11.8% of its population inhabiting urban areas in 1950 to 49.2% by 2010, China represents the most dramatic urban transformation the world has seen. With the contemporary urban narrative presenting new challenges, particularly in terms of its unprecedented pace and scale, this paper conducts an inquiry into the nature and causes of China’s rapid urban ascent. Making use of a new analytical framework, this paper maps out the chang…
In the Post-Urban World: Emergent Transformation of Cities and Regions in the Innovative Global Economy
Handbook of Social Capital and Regional Development
The role of social capital in regional development is a multifaceted topic which is studied all over the world using various methods and across numerous disciplines. It has long been evident that social capital is important for regional development, however, it is less clear how this works in practice. Do all types of social capital have the same effects and are different kinds of regions impacted in the same way? This book is the first to offer …
The openness buzz in the knowledge economy: Towards taxonomy
In the networked information and knowledge-based economy and society, the notions of ‘open’ and ‘openness’ are used in a variety of contexts; open source, open access, open economy, open government, open innovation – just to name a few. This paper aims at discussing openness and developing a taxonomy that may be used to analyse the concept of openness. Are there different qualities of openness? How are these qualities interrelated? What analytica…
Bottom-up initiatives and revival in the face of rural decline: Case studies from China and Sweden
It is necessary for rural communities to meet conditions of decline, including depopulation, with effective strategies for rural revival and revitalisation. Based on Hirschman’s ‘exit-voice’ theory, this paper investigates the way in which local stakeholders respond to processes of rural depopulation. Case studies undertaken in Xiaoguan village in China and in Åre in Sweden reveal the effectiveness of bottom-up revitalization initiatives in comba…
What is smart rural development
Urban–rural transformation in relation to cultivated land conversion in China: Implications for optimizing land use and balanced regional development
The paper aims to investigate land conversion as a result of urban-rural transformation in the Chinese context. Theoretical analysis and empirical study of the Bohai Rim region find strong connections between the land conversion rates and urban-rural transformation intensity in the period 2000-2010. Rapid land conversion normally takes place in counties/districts of low initial level of urban-rural transformation. However, places of high initial …
Start-ups and Local Entrepreneurial Social Capital in the Municipalities of Sweden
Westlund H., Larsson J. P. and Olsson A. R. Start-ups and local entrepreneurial social capital in the municipalities of Sweden, Regional Studies. This paper contains one of the first empirical attempts to investigate the influence of local entrepreneurial social capital (ESC) on start-up propensity. A unique database, including not only total start-ups but also data on start-ups divided into six sectors, is used to study the impact of ESC on star…
The Swedish countryside in the neo‐urban knowledge economy
Social Capital and Rural Development in the Knowledge Society
Contents: 1. Social Capital and Sustainable Urban - Rural Relationships in the Global Knowledge Society Hans Westlund and Kiyoshi Kobayashi PART I: NEEDS AND PROBLEMS OF BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL 2. Forest Governance and Social Capital: Structures and Functions Kobayashi, Tsuyoshi Hatori and Hayeong Jeong 3. Joint Facilities, Improvement Districts, Clubs and Commons: Towards a Taxonomy of Institutionalised Social Capital Lars Westin and Johanna Zol…
Building Social Capital for Social Entrepreneurship
By entrepreneurial combinations of voluntary resources, project means from public and private sources, commissions on contracts and other ways of financing, the youth house Fryshuset, with a great number of social activities for primarily young people in Stockholm, Sweden, has been able to allocate resources for establishing and expanding its activities. This development would not have been possible without struggle against established norms, val…
Handbook of social capital: The troika of sociology, political science and economics – Edited by Gert Tinggaard Svendsen and Gunnar Lind Haase Svendsen
Social Capital and Economic Performance: A Meta-analysis of 65 Studies
Why some rural areas decline while some others not: An overview of rural evolution in the world
Bottom-up initiatives and revival in the face of rural decline: Case studies from China and Sweden
It is necessary for rural communities to meet conditions of decline, including depopulation, with effective strategies for rural revival and revitalisation. Based on Hirschman’s ‘exit-voice’ theory, this paper investigates the way in which local stakeholders respond to processes of rural depopulation. Case studies undertaken in Xiaoguan village in China and in Åre in Sweden reveal the effectiveness of bottom-up revitalization initiatives in comba…
Urban–rural transformation in relation to cultivated land conversion in China: Implications for optimizing land use and balanced regional development
The paper aims to investigate land conversion as a result of urban-rural transformation in the Chinese context. Theoretical analysis and empirical study of the Bohai Rim region find strong connections between the land conversion rates and urban-rural transformation intensity in the period 2000-2010. Rapid land conversion normally takes place in counties/districts of low initial level of urban-rural transformation. However, places of high initial …
Start-ups and Local Entrepreneurial Social Capital in the Municipalities of Sweden
Westlund H., Larsson J. P. and Olsson A. R. Start-ups and local entrepreneurial social capital in the municipalities of Sweden, Regional Studies. This paper contains one of the first empirical attempts to investigate the influence of local entrepreneurial social capital (ESC) on start-up propensity. A unique database, including not only total start-ups but also data on start-ups divided into six sectors, is used to study the impact of ESC on star…
What is smart rural development
Measuring enterprises’ investments in social capital: A pilot study
Westlund H. and Nilsson E. (2005) Measuring enterprises’ investments in social capital: a pilot study, Regional Studies 39 , 1079–1094. Research into the impact of social capital on economic growth has focused mainly on the social capital related to the civic society. Social capital related to business enterprises has received little attention. This pilot study aims to develop a method of measuring investment by enterprises in social capital and …
Shopping behaviour in the Øresund region before and after the establishment of the fixed link between Denmark and Sweden
An Unplanned Green Wave: Settlement Patterns in Sweden during the 1990s
This study focuses on the population changes in the countryside and in urban centres within the municipalities of Sweden outside the metropolitan areas, between 1990 and 1997. Overall, the countryside showed a higher population increase than the municipality centres. Smaller population centres suffered a population decline. The increase in population in the countryside was strongest in areas surrounding the metropolises and around regional centre…
Agriculture's transformation and land-use change in a post-urban world: A case study of the Stockholm region
Shopping behaviour in the Øresund region before and after the establishment of the fixed link between Denmark and Sweden
Amenities and new firm formation in rural areas
Building on the neo-endogenous rural development model and the resource-based view of the firm, this paper investigates the role of place-based amenities for new firm formation. Empirically, we employ a full-population dataset encompassing new firms in Sweden from 2009 to 2016, combined with geocoded datasets with the spatial distribution of nature- and culture-based amenities. The results show that local amenities are indeed important factors in…
China’s rapid urban ascent: An examination into the components of urban growth
Having gone from 11.8% of its population inhabiting urban areas in 1950 to 49.2% by 2010, China represents the most dramatic urban transformation the world has seen. With the contemporary urban narrative presenting new challenges, particularly in terms of its unprecedented pace and scale, this paper conducts an inquiry into the nature and causes of China’s rapid urban ascent. Making use of a new analytical framework, this paper maps out the chang…
Building Social Capital for Social Entrepreneurship
By entrepreneurial combinations of voluntary resources, project means from public and private sources, commissions on contracts and other ways of financing, the youth house Fryshuset, with a great number of social activities for primarily young people in Stockholm, Sweden, has been able to allocate resources for establishing and expanding its activities. This development would not have been possible without struggle against established norms, val…
State and Market Forces in Swedish Infrastructure History
(1998). State and Market Forces in Swedish Infrastructure History. Scandinavian Journal of History: Vol. 23, No. 1-2, pp. 65-88
The openness buzz in the knowledge economy: Towards taxonomy
In the networked information and knowledge-based economy and society, the notions of ‘open’ and ‘openness’ are used in a variety of contexts; open source, open access, open economy, open government, open innovation – just to name a few. This paper aims at discussing openness and developing a taxonomy that may be used to analyse the concept of openness. Are there different qualities of openness? How are these qualities interrelated? What analytica…
Counterurbanization in China? A case study of counties in Huang-Huai-Hai area from the perspective of urban-rural relations
For decades, China's urbanization has primarily involved trans-regional migration from inland areas to major city regions along the coast or within the interior. As urban-rural disparities diminish, China has transitioned to intra-regional urbanization. However, there remains a gap in understanding the effects of this transition of urban-rural relations within China. This study focuses on counties as the fundamental research unit, examining net m…
Entrepreneurship and Regional Economic Development: A Spatial Perspective
Short‐term effects of the Öresund bridge on crossborder interaction and spatial behavior
The Öresund Bridge between Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden was opened July 1, 2000. It can hardly be expected that an infrastructure project of this type between two urban regions in two countries can provide any pronounced growth effects in the short term. On the other hand, it can be expected that, in certain areas, interaction will increase and interaction patterns will change relatively rapidly. The aim of this paper is therefore to…
Social Economy and New Jobs: A Summary of Twenty Case Studies in European Regions
Employment in the new social economy is growing. In times of rising unemployment new cooperatives and associations are recruiting some of the unemployed. That is the main conclusion in the study on twenty organizations scattered all over Europe presented in this article. The organizations are located in different economic and legal environments, but united in that they are comparatively small, locally based and run in a democratic way. The articl…
The Limits of Spatial Planning: Regional Experiences of the Soviet Epoch
State and Market Forces in Swedish Infrastructure History
(1998). State and Market Forces in Swedish Infrastructure History. Scandinavian Journal of History: Vol. 23, No. 1-2, pp. 65-88
Short‐term effects of the Öresund bridge on crossborder interaction and spatial behavior
The Öresund Bridge between Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden was opened July 1, 2000. It can hardly be expected that an infrastructure project of this type between two urban regions in two countries can provide any pronounced growth effects in the short term. On the other hand, it can be expected that, in certain areas, interaction will increase and interaction patterns will change relatively rapidly. The aim of this paper is therefore to…
An Unplanned Green Wave: Settlement Patterns in Sweden during the 1990s
This study focuses on the population changes in the countryside and in urban centres within the municipalities of Sweden outside the metropolitan areas, between 1990 and 1997. Overall, the countryside showed a higher population increase than the municipality centres. Smaller population centres suffered a population decline. The increase in population in the countryside was strongest in areas surrounding the metropolises and around regional centre…
Local Social Capital and Entrepreneurship
Social economy and employment – the case of Sweden
Recent research has shown growing shares of employment in the social economy (or non-profit sector) both in the European Union and in the United States. In the EU, there seems to be growing hopes that the social economy will be capable of contributing to local progress on the unemployment issue in crisis regions. This paper analyses employment in certain entrepreneurial forms, usually considered belonging to the social economy, in Sweden during t…
Shopping behaviour in the Øresund region before and after the establishment of the fixed link between Denmark and Sweden
Shopping behaviour in the Øresund region before and after the establishment of the fixed link between Denmark and Sweden
Entrepreneurship and Regional Economic Development: A Spatial Perspective
Measuring enterprises’ investments in social capital: A pilot study
Westlund H. and Nilsson E. (2005) Measuring enterprises’ investments in social capital: a pilot study, Regional Studies 39 , 1079–1094. Research into the impact of social capital on economic growth has focused mainly on the social capital related to the civic society. Social capital related to business enterprises has received little attention. This pilot study aims to develop a method of measuring investment by enterprises in social capital and …
Social Capital in the Knowledge Economy: Theory and Empirics
Social Capital in the Knowledge Economy: Theory and Empirics (Advances in Spatial Science)
"This book analyzes the social capital of the growing knowledge economy. The theoretical part discusses social capital as an economic concept, its relation to traditional capital theory and its role as a spatial externality. A theory of the social capital of the enterprise is developed and social capital's importance for entrepreneurship, innovation and regional development is analyzed. The empicical part compare some central aspects of social ca…
Social capital, networks and economic development: An analysis of regional productive systems
Social Capital and Economic Performance: A Meta-analysis of 65 Studies
The Creative Class, Social Capital and Regional Development in Japan
Do the social and cultural environments have any impact on regional development, expressed in terms of e.g. entrepreneurship, innovations and growth of new industries? In the current literature, two partly contradicting hypotheses can be discerned: 1. Florida's hypothesis, saying that a heterogeneous civil society with diverse values combined with tolerance is influencing regional growth in a positive way, and 2. Putnam's hypothesis, saying that …
Handbook of social capital: The troika of sociology, political science and economics – Edited by Gert Tinggaard Svendsen and Gunnar Lind Haase Svendsen
Building Social Capital for Social Entrepreneurship
By entrepreneurial combinations of voluntary resources, project means from public and private sources, commissions on contracts and other ways of financing, the youth house Fryshuset, with a great number of social activities for primarily young people in Stockholm, Sweden, has been able to allocate resources for establishing and expanding its activities. This development would not have been possible without struggle against established norms, val…
The Swedish countryside in the neo‐urban knowledge economy
Social Capital and Rural Development in the Knowledge Society
Contents: 1. Social Capital and Sustainable Urban - Rural Relationships in the Global Knowledge Society Hans Westlund and Kiyoshi Kobayashi PART I: NEEDS AND PROBLEMS OF BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL 2. Forest Governance and Social Capital: Structures and Functions Kobayashi, Tsuyoshi Hatori and Hayeong Jeong 3. Joint Facilities, Improvement Districts, Clubs and Commons: Towards a Taxonomy of Institutionalised Social Capital Lars Westin and Johanna Zol…
Start-ups and Local Entrepreneurial Social Capital in the Municipalities of Sweden
Westlund H., Larsson J. P. and Olsson A. R. Start-ups and local entrepreneurial social capital in the municipalities of Sweden, Regional Studies. This paper contains one of the first empirical attempts to investigate the influence of local entrepreneurial social capital (ESC) on start-up propensity. A unique database, including not only total start-ups but also data on start-ups divided into six sectors, is used to study the impact of ESC on star…
What is smart rural development
Urban–rural transformation in relation to cultivated land conversion in China: Implications for optimizing land use and balanced regional development
The paper aims to investigate land conversion as a result of urban-rural transformation in the Chinese context. Theoretical analysis and empirical study of the Bohai Rim region find strong connections between the land conversion rates and urban-rural transformation intensity in the period 2000-2010. Rapid land conversion normally takes place in counties/districts of low initial level of urban-rural transformation. However, places of high initial …
Handbook of Social Capital and Regional Development
The role of social capital in regional development is a multifaceted topic which is studied all over the world using various methods and across numerous disciplines. It has long been evident that social capital is important for regional development, however, it is less clear how this works in practice. Do all types of social capital have the same effects and are different kinds of regions impacted in the same way? This book is the first to offer …
The openness buzz in the knowledge economy: Towards taxonomy
In the networked information and knowledge-based economy and society, the notions of ‘open’ and ‘openness’ are used in a variety of contexts; open source, open access, open economy, open government, open innovation – just to name a few. This paper aims at discussing openness and developing a taxonomy that may be used to analyse the concept of openness. Are there different qualities of openness? How are these qualities interrelated? What analytica…
Economics (26 works) · Political science (25 works) · Geography (19 works) · Sociology (19 works) · Business (16 works) · Economic geography (15 works) · Economic growth (13 works) · Social capital (12 works) · Social Capital and Networks (12 works) · Social science (12 works)