Birgitta Niklasson
Biographic Data
| ID | 4097010 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Birgitta Niklasson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Birgitta |
| FAMILY NAME | Niklasson |
| SIGNATURE | NIKLASSON B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Gothenburg |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9035-8556 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 126 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Leaking season
Why is compromising information about misconduct in political parties leaked to the media by party insiders? Drawing on previous research and interviews with political and investigative journalists, we hypothesize that such media disclosures are made with political intent and thus more likely when (1) party list nominations take place and (2) when parties are losing popular support. Through an analysis of 349 newspaper articles of misconduct in p…
Outposts of diplomacy
Misconduct and whistleblowing in political parties
What is the nature of misconduct and whistleblowing in political parties? While there is a large literature on whistleblowing in other organisational settings, we are yet to understand how these accountability processes work in parties. Using a survey of 1165 Swedish politicians, we show that misconduct in parties primarily relates to serious structural organisational problems and inappropriate personal conduct. Witnessed misconduct is reported a…
The politicization of diplomacy
A politicization of diplomacy weakens the professionalism of the foreign service and arguably endangers the external relations of states. Yet, this phenomenon has largely escaped scholarly scrutiny. Public administration research on politicization usually overlooks the foreign service, whereas diplomacy scholars have focused almost exclusively on the United States. Our exploratory study of ambassador appointments compares the levels and modes of …
Diplomatic Gender Patterns and Symbolic Status Signaling
This research note introduces a new dyadic dataset on gender and diplomatic representation and shows its potential to address questions about international status, gender patterns in international politics, and more. The GenDip dataset includes the names and gender classification of all bilateral ambassadors heading embassies 1968–2019 (74,549), structured as dyad/decade for 1968–1998 and dyad/lustrum for 1998–2019. Cross-fertilizing the quantita…
Do gender patterns in diplomacy disappear over time
Existing scholarship points to gender patterns in diplomacy. This study examines such gender patterns in new ways, expecting women to be less likely to be ambassadors in states with more economic clout and in conflict-affected states, but more likely to serve as ambassadors in more gender-equal states. Most importantly, we examine whether these gender differences diminish over time. New data on ambassador appointments for Denmark, Sweden, the UK …
Speaking the Unspeakable
This article explores the extent to which the human rights framework relating to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is upheld in the Norwegian asylum system, by investigating if and how asylum bureaucrats enable the disclosure of SGBV and how such disclosure may impact the assessment of applicants’ credibility. Credibility assessment is important in deciding who is eligible for protection. Eliciting disclosures of SGBV in general is notoriou…
Introduction
This introductory article situates Ministries of Foreign Affairs ( MFA s) as gendered institutions at the intersection between domestic and international relations. Based on an extensive literature review and analysis of articles on Australian, Bulgarian, Czech, Japanese, Turkish, UK, and US MFA s in this special issue, we claim that research on gender and MFA s has made important contributions to diplomatic studies by deepening, challenging, and…
The Gendered Networking of Diplomats
The aim of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of the gendered condi- tions under which diplomats network. We still have limited knowledge of how female diplomats network when serving abroad in strongly male-dominated contexts. To what extent do they experience token tendencies (visibility, assimilation and contrast) and how are these tendencies perceived to affect their access to important contacts? Based on 28 interviews with …
Covid-19 and Gender
The COVID -19 crisis has fundamentally gendered effects, on intimate partner violence, the division of care labour, healthcare and more. This, and other COVID -19-related changes, may have important consequences for the gendered practice of diplomacy. This essay therefore discusses COVID -19 to highlight the need to pay better attention to gender in the study of diplomacy. For instance, what are the gender dimensions of diplomacy moving online? W…
Speaking truth to power
How are civil servants and politically appointed advisers likely to respond to policy proposals that they believe will harm their countries severely even if they are legal? Based on the different loyalties and roles of political advisors (PA) and civil servants (CS), we hypothesise that (1) PAs are more likely to voice internally, (2) CSs are more likely to voice externally and (3) CSs in functionally politicised systems are more likely to stay s…
Gender, International Status, and Ambassador Appointments
Focusing on ambassador appointments, the aim of this pioneering article is to address some fundamental questions about where men and women are positioned in diplomacy. Most of the gender-related diplomacy studies are limited to individual Ministry of Foreign Affairs and say little about diplomacy as an aggregate set of practices. We draw on theories of gender and positional status to ask whether there are gender patterns in ambassador appointment…
Administrative Politicization or Contestability? How Political Advisers Affect Neutral Competence in Policy Processes
There is limited empirical research on the extent to which politicized recruitment of ministerial advisers affects the quality of the policy process. In this article we take a novel step by looking at two possible consequences of increased political recruitment for the policy process: administrative politicization and contestability. We deploy a Most Similar Systems comparison of Denmark and Sweden and include survey answers from 657 civil servan…
Does politics crowd out professional competence? The organisation of ministerial advice in Denmark and Sweden
The use of politically appointed ministerial advisors has increased noticeably in many Western countries, but we know little about how this development has affected the civil servants recruited on merit. The article asks whether political appointees accentuate or blur the line between politics and administration. Do political appointees take over political-tactical advice and leave policy advice to the permanent civil service, or do they cause pe…
The Politics of Politicization in Sweden
Previous research has described, theoretically and empirically, the negative consequences of a politicized civil service, recruited on political instead of professional merits. However, we know very little about what explains politicization, especially outside the context of the USA . This study reviews literature in the field and identifies three commonly used explanations that are then tested in a study of recruitment of agency heads in Sweden …
Does agency age matter in administrative reform
This paper looks at the policy autonomy of different “generations” of agencies in Sweden. Taking a historical institutional perspective, we argue that the policy autonomy of public agencies is related to the dominant political and administrative trends at the time when the agency was first created, i.e. that institutional relations created at that formative moment tend to persist. In the Swedish context, one such trend is of particular importance…
The role of agencies in policy-making
There is an extensive literature on the proliferation of agencies and the delegation of authority to such bodies across different countries. Much of this research asks whether New Public Management (NPM)-style agencification reforms have been implemented according to the original objectives, and what consequences – intended or unintended – the reforms have produced. Yet much of this research lacks an explicit link to the literature on the policym…
The Politics of Politicization in Sweden
Previous research has described, theoretically and empirically, the negative consequences of a politicized civil service, recruited on political instead of professional merits. However, we know very little about what explains politicization, especially outside the context of the USA . This study reviews literature in the field and identifies three commonly used explanations that are then tested in a study of recruitment of agency heads in Sweden …
Does politics crowd out professional competence? The organisation of ministerial advice in Denmark and Sweden
The use of politically appointed ministerial advisors has increased noticeably in many Western countries, but we know little about how this development has affected the civil servants recruited on merit. The article asks whether political appointees accentuate or blur the line between politics and administration. Do political appointees take over political-tactical advice and leave policy advice to the permanent civil service, or do they cause pe…
Administrative Politicization or Contestability? How Political Advisers Affect Neutral Competence in Policy Processes
There is limited empirical research on the extent to which politicized recruitment of ministerial advisers affects the quality of the policy process. In this article we take a novel step by looking at two possible consequences of increased political recruitment for the policy process: administrative politicization and contestability. We deploy a Most Similar Systems comparison of Denmark and Sweden and include survey answers from 657 civil servan…
Gender, International Status, and Ambassador Appointments
Focusing on ambassador appointments, the aim of this pioneering article is to address some fundamental questions about where men and women are positioned in diplomacy. Most of the gender-related diplomacy studies are limited to individual Ministry of Foreign Affairs and say little about diplomacy as an aggregate set of practices. We draw on theories of gender and positional status to ask whether there are gender patterns in ambassador appointment…
The Gendered Networking of Diplomats
The aim of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of the gendered condi- tions under which diplomats network. We still have limited knowledge of how female diplomats network when serving abroad in strongly male-dominated contexts. To what extent do they experience token tendencies (visibility, assimilation and contrast) and how are these tendencies perceived to affect their access to important contacts? Based on 28 interviews with …
Speaking truth to power
How are civil servants and politically appointed advisers likely to respond to policy proposals that they believe will harm their countries severely even if they are legal? Based on the different loyalties and roles of political advisors (PA) and civil servants (CS), we hypothesise that (1) PAs are more likely to voice internally, (2) CSs are more likely to voice externally and (3) CSs in functionally politicised systems are more likely to stay s…
The role of agencies in policy-making
There is an extensive literature on the proliferation of agencies and the delegation of authority to such bodies across different countries. Much of this research asks whether New Public Management (NPM)-style agencification reforms have been implemented according to the original objectives, and what consequences – intended or unintended – the reforms have produced. Yet much of this research lacks an explicit link to the literature on the policym…
Introduction
This introductory article situates Ministries of Foreign Affairs ( MFA s) as gendered institutions at the intersection between domestic and international relations. Based on an extensive literature review and analysis of articles on Australian, Bulgarian, Czech, Japanese, Turkish, UK, and US MFA s in this special issue, we claim that research on gender and MFA s has made important contributions to diplomatic studies by deepening, challenging, and…
Does agency age matter in administrative reform
This paper looks at the policy autonomy of different “generations” of agencies in Sweden. Taking a historical institutional perspective, we argue that the policy autonomy of public agencies is related to the dominant political and administrative trends at the time when the agency was first created, i.e. that institutional relations created at that formative moment tend to persist. In the Swedish context, one such trend is of particular importance…
Misconduct and whistleblowing in political parties
What is the nature of misconduct and whistleblowing in political parties? While there is a large literature on whistleblowing in other organisational settings, we are yet to understand how these accountability processes work in parties. Using a survey of 1165 Swedish politicians, we show that misconduct in parties primarily relates to serious structural organisational problems and inappropriate personal conduct. Witnessed misconduct is reported a…
Covid-19 and Gender
The COVID -19 crisis has fundamentally gendered effects, on intimate partner violence, the division of care labour, healthcare and more. This, and other COVID -19-related changes, may have important consequences for the gendered practice of diplomacy. This essay therefore discusses COVID -19 to highlight the need to pay better attention to gender in the study of diplomacy. For instance, what are the gender dimensions of diplomacy moving online? W…
Diplomatic Gender Patterns and Symbolic Status Signaling
This research note introduces a new dyadic dataset on gender and diplomatic representation and shows its potential to address questions about international status, gender patterns in international politics, and more. The GenDip dataset includes the names and gender classification of all bilateral ambassadors heading embassies 1968–2019 (74,549), structured as dyad/decade for 1968–1998 and dyad/lustrum for 1998–2019. Cross-fertilizing the quantita…
Do gender patterns in diplomacy disappear over time
Existing scholarship points to gender patterns in diplomacy. This study examines such gender patterns in new ways, expecting women to be less likely to be ambassadors in states with more economic clout and in conflict-affected states, but more likely to serve as ambassadors in more gender-equal states. Most importantly, we examine whether these gender differences diminish over time. New data on ambassador appointments for Denmark, Sweden, the UK …
Speaking the Unspeakable
This article explores the extent to which the human rights framework relating to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is upheld in the Norwegian asylum system, by investigating if and how asylum bureaucrats enable the disclosure of SGBV and how such disclosure may impact the assessment of applicants’ credibility. Credibility assessment is important in deciding who is eligible for protection. Eliciting disclosures of SGBV in general is notoriou…
Does agency age matter in administrative reform
This paper looks at the policy autonomy of different “generations” of agencies in Sweden. Taking a historical institutional perspective, we argue that the policy autonomy of public agencies is related to the dominant political and administrative trends at the time when the agency was first created, i.e. that institutional relations created at that formative moment tend to persist. In the Swedish context, one such trend is of particular importance…
The role of agencies in policy-making
There is an extensive literature on the proliferation of agencies and the delegation of authority to such bodies across different countries. Much of this research asks whether New Public Management (NPM)-style agencification reforms have been implemented according to the original objectives, and what consequences – intended or unintended – the reforms have produced. Yet much of this research lacks an explicit link to the literature on the policym…
The Politics of Politicization in Sweden
Previous research has described, theoretically and empirically, the negative consequences of a politicized civil service, recruited on political instead of professional merits. However, we know very little about what explains politicization, especially outside the context of the USA . This study reviews literature in the field and identifies three commonly used explanations that are then tested in a study of recruitment of agency heads in Sweden …
Gender, International Status, and Ambassador Appointments
Focusing on ambassador appointments, the aim of this pioneering article is to address some fundamental questions about where men and women are positioned in diplomacy. Most of the gender-related diplomacy studies are limited to individual Ministry of Foreign Affairs and say little about diplomacy as an aggregate set of practices. We draw on theories of gender and positional status to ask whether there are gender patterns in ambassador appointment…
Administrative Politicization or Contestability? How Political Advisers Affect Neutral Competence in Policy Processes
There is limited empirical research on the extent to which politicized recruitment of ministerial advisers affects the quality of the policy process. In this article we take a novel step by looking at two possible consequences of increased political recruitment for the policy process: administrative politicization and contestability. We deploy a Most Similar Systems comparison of Denmark and Sweden and include survey answers from 657 civil servan…
Does politics crowd out professional competence? The organisation of ministerial advice in Denmark and Sweden
The use of politically appointed ministerial advisors has increased noticeably in many Western countries, but we know little about how this development has affected the civil servants recruited on merit. The article asks whether political appointees accentuate or blur the line between politics and administration. Do political appointees take over political-tactical advice and leave policy advice to the permanent civil service, or do they cause pe…
Speaking truth to power
How are civil servants and politically appointed advisers likely to respond to policy proposals that they believe will harm their countries severely even if they are legal? Based on the different loyalties and roles of political advisors (PA) and civil servants (CS), we hypothesise that (1) PAs are more likely to voice internally, (2) CSs are more likely to voice externally and (3) CSs in functionally politicised systems are more likely to stay s…
The Gendered Networking of Diplomats
The aim of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of the gendered condi- tions under which diplomats network. We still have limited knowledge of how female diplomats network when serving abroad in strongly male-dominated contexts. To what extent do they experience token tendencies (visibility, assimilation and contrast) and how are these tendencies perceived to affect their access to important contacts? Based on 28 interviews with …
Covid-19 and Gender
The COVID -19 crisis has fundamentally gendered effects, on intimate partner violence, the division of care labour, healthcare and more. This, and other COVID -19-related changes, may have important consequences for the gendered practice of diplomacy. This essay therefore discusses COVID -19 to highlight the need to pay better attention to gender in the study of diplomacy. For instance, what are the gender dimensions of diplomacy moving online? W…
Do gender patterns in diplomacy disappear over time
Existing scholarship points to gender patterns in diplomacy. This study examines such gender patterns in new ways, expecting women to be less likely to be ambassadors in states with more economic clout and in conflict-affected states, but more likely to serve as ambassadors in more gender-equal states. Most importantly, we examine whether these gender differences diminish over time. New data on ambassador appointments for Denmark, Sweden, the UK …
Speaking the Unspeakable
This article explores the extent to which the human rights framework relating to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is upheld in the Norwegian asylum system, by investigating if and how asylum bureaucrats enable the disclosure of SGBV and how such disclosure may impact the assessment of applicants’ credibility. Credibility assessment is important in deciding who is eligible for protection. Eliciting disclosures of SGBV in general is notoriou…
Introduction
This introductory article situates Ministries of Foreign Affairs ( MFA s) as gendered institutions at the intersection between domestic and international relations. Based on an extensive literature review and analysis of articles on Australian, Bulgarian, Czech, Japanese, Turkish, UK, and US MFA s in this special issue, we claim that research on gender and MFA s has made important contributions to diplomatic studies by deepening, challenging, and…
Diplomatic Gender Patterns and Symbolic Status Signaling
This research note introduces a new dyadic dataset on gender and diplomatic representation and shows its potential to address questions about international status, gender patterns in international politics, and more. The GenDip dataset includes the names and gender classification of all bilateral ambassadors heading embassies 1968–2019 (74,549), structured as dyad/decade for 1968–1998 and dyad/lustrum for 1998–2019. Cross-fertilizing the quantita…
The politicization of diplomacy
A politicization of diplomacy weakens the professionalism of the foreign service and arguably endangers the external relations of states. Yet, this phenomenon has largely escaped scholarly scrutiny. Public administration research on politicization usually overlooks the foreign service, whereas diplomacy scholars have focused almost exclusively on the United States. Our exploratory study of ambassador appointments compares the levels and modes of …
Outposts of diplomacy
Misconduct and whistleblowing in political parties
What is the nature of misconduct and whistleblowing in political parties? While there is a large literature on whistleblowing in other organisational settings, we are yet to understand how these accountability processes work in parties. Using a survey of 1165 Swedish politicians, we show that misconduct in parties primarily relates to serious structural organisational problems and inappropriate personal conduct. Witnessed misconduct is reported a…
Leaking season
Why is compromising information about misconduct in political parties leaked to the media by party insiders? Drawing on previous research and interviews with political and investigative journalists, we hypothesize that such media disclosures are made with political intent and thus more likely when (1) party list nominations take place and (2) when parties are losing popular support. Through an analysis of 349 newspaper articles of misconduct in p…
Political science (16 works) · Politics (16 works) · Law (14 works) · Law (14 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Public Administration (7 works) · Diplomacy (6 works) · Gender Politics and Representation (6 works) · Public Administration (6 works) · Public Policy and Administration Research (6 works)