Isabell Schierenbeck
Biographic Data
| ID | 887245 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Isabell Schierenbeck |
| GIVEN NAMES | Isabell |
| FAMILY NAME | Schierenbeck |
| SIGNATURE | SCHIERENBECK I |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Gothenburg |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8260-3793 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 73 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Identity, homeland and transformative events: Diaspora mobilisation among Jews and Israelis in Sweden
This article problematises four interlinked concepts: diaspora identity, diaspora mobilisation, the idea of a “homeland”, and the role of transformative events. We explore how diasporas identify with and respond to significant events in their homeland, assessing whether specific identities align with particular strategies of mobilisation. The study contributes novel data on two underexplored groups – Swedish Jews and Israelis residing in Sweden –…
Geocultural Power in the Red Sea Region
In this research note, we argue that traditional geopolitical and geoeconomic arguments that seek to make sense of growing engagements between countries of the Middle East and the Horn of Africa often ascribe little significance to notions of culture and history that underpin the narratives of collaborations that have developed across the Red Sea. To address this shortcoming, we turn to the concept of geocultural power—understood as the mobilizat…
Newly arrived migrants meet street-level bureaucrats in Jordan, Sweden, and Turkey: Client perceptions of satisfaction–dissatisfaction and response strategies
The article examines how newly arrived Syrian refugees experience and navigate their encounters with street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) in three urban settings: Adana, Turkey; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Irbid, Jordan. The encounters took place in the context of local government institutions responsible for assisting refugees upon their arrival in the host society. The broader question examined is how refugees respond when experiencing dissatisfaction w…
Navigating through depoliticisation: International stakeholders and refugee reception in Jordan and Turkey
The reception of Syrian refugees has dominated negotiations between neighbouring host states, such as Jordan and Turkey, and donors in the Global North. Despite the growing literature on external funding, how international stakeholders navigate the domestic context is understudied. This article employs the lens of depoliticisation and analyses tools employed by international stakeholders manoeuvring domestic contexts in centralised states. We arg…
Sweden, Nato and the role of diasporas in foreign policy
When and how do diasporas influence the foreign policy of liberal democratic states? Few studies have sought to conceptualize how diasporas affect strategic bilateral relations between states. We argue that these non-state actors are an increasingly important factor in western liberal democratic societies, which challenge traditional theories of foreign policy. To explore when and how the transnational societal ties and interests of diaspora grou…
Peace research meets implementation studies: The role of implementing actors
In spite of a vibrant debate about the genesis, logic and effects of peace operations, peace research remains poorly equipped to account for how policies are implemented and 'translated into practice' - issues that have been the focus in implementation studies for nearly five decades. In response, we propose a merger of certain strands of peace research with bottom-up implementation studies, which forefronts the role of 'implementing actors', nam…
Safer Field Research in the Social Sciences: A Guide to Human and Digital Security in Hostile Environments
The ‘Local Turn’ in Peacebuilding: The Liberal Peace Challenged
Defected Civilian Civil Servants: Perceptions of Regime Strength in Syria
This paper explores why Syrian civil servants decide to defect from the Syrian bureaucratic apparatus and how regime strength is perceived among these defectors. The paper contributes to existing studies on defection in which the main focus is often on military civil servants, by expanding the scope of the investigation to defections among civilian civil servants working in public administration. The analytical framework of ‘state infrastructural…
The Ownership Paradox: Continuity and Change
This article introduces the special section on The Ownership Paradox: Continuity and Change. In the text, we discuss how the principle and requirement of ownership is accommodated and how this may affect international development cooperation, drawing upon the various contributions in the section. The article is structured around the three crosscutting themes of who is to ‘own’, what is to be owned, and how are donor-recipient relations and approa…
National ownership and donor involvement: An aid paradox illustrated by the case of Rwanda
A paradox in current international development cooperation is comprised by the simultaneous insistence on national ownership and far-reaching donor involvement through policy dialogue. In order to better understand this combination of a strong ownership ideal and extensive donor presence, this article explores how national and external actors portray the process of formulating and revising development policies and programmes in an aid recipient c…
Collaboration or renunciation? The role of traditional medicine in mental health care in Rwanda and Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Traditional medicine (TM) and biomedicine represent parallel health systems in many developing countries; the latter dominating in public policies, while the former still retain considerable influence among the general public. This study investigates how mental health care professionals responsible for mental health care implementation comprehend and relate to the intersection between TM and biomedicine in the cases of Rwanda and the Eastern Cape…
Food (In)Security, Human (In)Security, Women’s (In)Security: State Policies and Local Experiences in Rural Rwanda
ABSTACTDespite the growing importance of the concept human security, security studies in Africa remain largely focused on the threat of direct violence and the role of state actors. This article broadens the security agenda by focusing on food security and discusses how women in rural Rwanda experience and view food security. In making individual women the referent of security, the article exposes the gap between national level reforms, which aim…
The struggle versus the song – the local turn in peacebuilding: An introduction
This introduction presents how views on ‘the local turn’ in peacebuilding has evolved into a significant discourse. Currently, it has ‘its moment’ and is widely used by theorists and practitioners alike, by normative localists as well as by liberal policy-makers, albeit for different reasons and with differing intensions. We suggest that international interventions for the purpose of peacebuilding cannot be justified a priori, but requires resona…
Beyond the local turn divide: Lessons learnt, relearnt and unlearnt
This article builds on the contributions to this special issue by examining different approaches to the local turn and what can be learnt from applying them. The contributors agree on the imperative of understanding ‘the local’ in peacebuilding; however, there seems to be a multitude of ways forward in this regard. The article suggests giving up the ‘one-size-fits-all’ model of peacebuilding and engaging in context-based methods and research desi…
National policy in local practice: The case of Rwanda
Far reaching decentralisation reform has been launched in Rwanda, intended to contribute to socioeconomic development as well as to reconstruction and reconciliation. While the reform is well in line with the international trend of a ‘local turn’, the Rwandan government makes a point of not letting donors or other external actors set the agenda. Determined to formulate its own policies, thus claiming ‘national ownership’, it has, within the frame…
Political Leadership, Nascent Statehood and Democracy: A Comparative Study
Do political leaders determine whether a polity will receive a democratic future or not? Research and advocates of democracy agree on the significance of political elites for democratization, yet there is a need for a more specific understanding of their role. This book develops a theory of political leadership at the point of nascent statehood to explain the emergence of resilient democracies. It employs four diverse case studies to examine the …
Health care practitioners' perceptions of public mental health care in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
This qualitative study explored the perceptions of health care practitioners (HCPs) concerning public mental health care in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Data were collected from thirteen purposively selected HCPs using in-depth unstructured interviews (males = 6, females = 7). Data were transcribed verbatim and later thematically analysed. The findings suggest that mental health professionals perceive mental health services to be bo…
Political Leadership, Nascent Statehood and Democracy: A Comparative Study
Understanding the role of social capital for mental wellbeing among older adults
Previous research applying quantifiable measurements has established significant positive associations between social capital and mental health in older adults. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of social capital affecting mental wellbeing among older people. The study is based on two independent qualitative data materials collected through two focus group interviews and an open-ended question included in …
Safeguarding a Child Perspective in Asylum Reception: Dilemmas of Children's Case Workers in Sweden
This article examines the perceptions and practices of Children’s Case Workers (CCW), employed at the Swedish Migration Board to safeguard children’s interests within the Swedish asylum reception system. The extensive discretionary powers that CCWs enjoy in interpreting and implementing policies are of particular significance. This qualitative study highlights the challenges experienced by CCWs at a regional branch, in their position at the inter…
Psychosocial Interventions for the Prevention of Depression in Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for the prevention of depression in older people. Method: Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective controlled trials. Results: Thirty studies were included. Overall, psychosocial interventions had a small but statistically significant effect on depressive symptoms (17 trials, standardized mean difference = -0.17, 95% CI = -0.31 to -0.03). In comparison with no-interve…
Power, identity, modernity. Individualisation and destabilisation in a globalised world
In what is called, with an almost worn-out word, a globalised world, individualisation and destabilisation seem to be the two most central traits in both politics and society, internationally as we
Sense of Community. Trust, Hope and Worries in the Welfare State
Normal 0 21 false false false DE X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;mso-para-margin-top:0cm;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;line-height:107%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-fam…
The struggle versus the song – the local turn in peacebuilding: An introduction
This introduction presents how views on ‘the local turn’ in peacebuilding has evolved into a significant discourse. Currently, it has ‘its moment’ and is widely used by theorists and practitioners alike, by normative localists as well as by liberal policy-makers, albeit for different reasons and with differing intensions. We suggest that international interventions for the purpose of peacebuilding cannot be justified a priori, but requires resona…
The Ownership Paradox: Continuity and Change
This article introduces the special section on The Ownership Paradox: Continuity and Change. In the text, we discuss how the principle and requirement of ownership is accommodated and how this may affect international development cooperation, drawing upon the various contributions in the section. The article is structured around the three crosscutting themes of who is to ‘own’, what is to be owned, and how are donor-recipient relations and approa…
Beyond the local turn divide: Lessons learnt, relearnt and unlearnt
This article builds on the contributions to this special issue by examining different approaches to the local turn and what can be learnt from applying them. The contributors agree on the imperative of understanding ‘the local’ in peacebuilding; however, there seems to be a multitude of ways forward in this regard. The article suggests giving up the ‘one-size-fits-all’ model of peacebuilding and engaging in context-based methods and research desi…
National policy in local practice: The case of Rwanda
Far reaching decentralisation reform has been launched in Rwanda, intended to contribute to socioeconomic development as well as to reconstruction and reconciliation. While the reform is well in line with the international trend of a ‘local turn’, the Rwandan government makes a point of not letting donors or other external actors set the agenda. Determined to formulate its own policies, thus claiming ‘national ownership’, it has, within the frame…
Understanding the role of social capital for mental wellbeing among older adults
Previous research applying quantifiable measurements has established significant positive associations between social capital and mental health in older adults. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of social capital affecting mental wellbeing among older people. The study is based on two independent qualitative data materials collected through two focus group interviews and an open-ended question included in …
Safeguarding a Child Perspective in Asylum Reception: Dilemmas of Children's Case Workers in Sweden
This article examines the perceptions and practices of Children’s Case Workers (CCW), employed at the Swedish Migration Board to safeguard children’s interests within the Swedish asylum reception system. The extensive discretionary powers that CCWs enjoy in interpreting and implementing policies are of particular significance. This qualitative study highlights the challenges experienced by CCWs at a regional branch, in their position at the inter…
Newly arrived migrants meet street-level bureaucrats in Jordan, Sweden, and Turkey: Client perceptions of satisfaction–dissatisfaction and response strategies
The article examines how newly arrived Syrian refugees experience and navigate their encounters with street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) in three urban settings: Adana, Turkey; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Irbid, Jordan. The encounters took place in the context of local government institutions responsible for assisting refugees upon their arrival in the host society. The broader question examined is how refugees respond when experiencing dissatisfaction w…
Sweden, Nato and the role of diasporas in foreign policy
When and how do diasporas influence the foreign policy of liberal democratic states? Few studies have sought to conceptualize how diasporas affect strategic bilateral relations between states. We argue that these non-state actors are an increasingly important factor in western liberal democratic societies, which challenge traditional theories of foreign policy. To explore when and how the transnational societal ties and interests of diaspora grou…
National ownership and donor involvement: An aid paradox illustrated by the case of Rwanda
A paradox in current international development cooperation is comprised by the simultaneous insistence on national ownership and far-reaching donor involvement through policy dialogue. In order to better understand this combination of a strong ownership ideal and extensive donor presence, this article explores how national and external actors portray the process of formulating and revising development policies and programmes in an aid recipient c…
Navigating through depoliticisation: International stakeholders and refugee reception in Jordan and Turkey
The reception of Syrian refugees has dominated negotiations between neighbouring host states, such as Jordan and Turkey, and donors in the Global North. Despite the growing literature on external funding, how international stakeholders navigate the domestic context is understudied. This article employs the lens of depoliticisation and analyses tools employed by international stakeholders manoeuvring domestic contexts in centralised states. We arg…
Peace research meets implementation studies: The role of implementing actors
In spite of a vibrant debate about the genesis, logic and effects of peace operations, peace research remains poorly equipped to account for how policies are implemented and 'translated into practice' - issues that have been the focus in implementation studies for nearly five decades. In response, we propose a merger of certain strands of peace research with bottom-up implementation studies, which forefronts the role of 'implementing actors', nam…
Food (In)Security, Human (In)Security, Women’s (In)Security: State Policies and Local Experiences in Rural Rwanda
ABSTACTDespite the growing importance of the concept human security, security studies in Africa remain largely focused on the threat of direct violence and the role of state actors. This article broadens the security agenda by focusing on food security and discusses how women in rural Rwanda experience and view food security. In making individual women the referent of security, the article exposes the gap between national level reforms, which aim…
Power, identity, modernity. Individualisation and destabilisation in a globalised world
In what is called, with an almost worn-out word, a globalised world, individualisation and destabilisation seem to be the two most central traits in both politics and society, internationally as we
Power, identity, modernity. Individualisation and destabilisation in a globalised world
In what is called, with an almost worn-out word, a globalised world, individualisation and destabilisation seem to be the two most central traits in both politics and society, internationally as we
Sense of Community. Trust, Hope and Worries in the Welfare State
Normal 0 21 false false false DE X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;mso-para-margin-top:0cm;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;line-height:107%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-fam…
Psychosocial Interventions for the Prevention of Depression in Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for the prevention of depression in older people. Method: Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective controlled trials. Results: Thirty studies were included. Overall, psychosocial interventions had a small but statistically significant effect on depressive symptoms (17 trials, standardized mean difference = -0.17, 95% CI = -0.31 to -0.03). In comparison with no-interve…
Safeguarding a Child Perspective in Asylum Reception: Dilemmas of Children's Case Workers in Sweden
This article examines the perceptions and practices of Children’s Case Workers (CCW), employed at the Swedish Migration Board to safeguard children’s interests within the Swedish asylum reception system. The extensive discretionary powers that CCWs enjoy in interpreting and implementing policies are of particular significance. This qualitative study highlights the challenges experienced by CCWs at a regional branch, in their position at the inter…
Understanding the role of social capital for mental wellbeing among older adults
Previous research applying quantifiable measurements has established significant positive associations between social capital and mental health in older adults. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of social capital affecting mental wellbeing among older people. The study is based on two independent qualitative data materials collected through two focus group interviews and an open-ended question included in …
Political Leadership, Nascent Statehood and Democracy: A Comparative Study
Do political leaders determine whether a polity will receive a democratic future or not? Research and advocates of democracy agree on the significance of political elites for democratization, yet there is a need for a more specific understanding of their role. This book develops a theory of political leadership at the point of nascent statehood to explain the emergence of resilient democracies. It employs four diverse case studies to examine the …
Health care practitioners' perceptions of public mental health care in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
This qualitative study explored the perceptions of health care practitioners (HCPs) concerning public mental health care in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Data were collected from thirteen purposively selected HCPs using in-depth unstructured interviews (males = 6, females = 7). Data were transcribed verbatim and later thematically analysed. The findings suggest that mental health professionals perceive mental health services to be bo…
Political Leadership, Nascent Statehood and Democracy: A Comparative Study
The struggle versus the song – the local turn in peacebuilding: An introduction
This introduction presents how views on ‘the local turn’ in peacebuilding has evolved into a significant discourse. Currently, it has ‘its moment’ and is widely used by theorists and practitioners alike, by normative localists as well as by liberal policy-makers, albeit for different reasons and with differing intensions. We suggest that international interventions for the purpose of peacebuilding cannot be justified a priori, but requires resona…
Beyond the local turn divide: Lessons learnt, relearnt and unlearnt
This article builds on the contributions to this special issue by examining different approaches to the local turn and what can be learnt from applying them. The contributors agree on the imperative of understanding ‘the local’ in peacebuilding; however, there seems to be a multitude of ways forward in this regard. The article suggests giving up the ‘one-size-fits-all’ model of peacebuilding and engaging in context-based methods and research desi…
National policy in local practice: The case of Rwanda
Far reaching decentralisation reform has been launched in Rwanda, intended to contribute to socioeconomic development as well as to reconstruction and reconciliation. While the reform is well in line with the international trend of a ‘local turn’, the Rwandan government makes a point of not letting donors or other external actors set the agenda. Determined to formulate its own policies, thus claiming ‘national ownership’, it has, within the frame…
Collaboration or renunciation? The role of traditional medicine in mental health care in Rwanda and Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Traditional medicine (TM) and biomedicine represent parallel health systems in many developing countries; the latter dominating in public policies, while the former still retain considerable influence among the general public. This study investigates how mental health care professionals responsible for mental health care implementation comprehend and relate to the intersection between TM and biomedicine in the cases of Rwanda and the Eastern Cape…
Food (In)Security, Human (In)Security, Women’s (In)Security: State Policies and Local Experiences in Rural Rwanda
ABSTACTDespite the growing importance of the concept human security, security studies in Africa remain largely focused on the threat of direct violence and the role of state actors. This article broadens the security agenda by focusing on food security and discusses how women in rural Rwanda experience and view food security. In making individual women the referent of security, the article exposes the gap between national level reforms, which aim…
The Ownership Paradox: Continuity and Change
This article introduces the special section on The Ownership Paradox: Continuity and Change. In the text, we discuss how the principle and requirement of ownership is accommodated and how this may affect international development cooperation, drawing upon the various contributions in the section. The article is structured around the three crosscutting themes of who is to ‘own’, what is to be owned, and how are donor-recipient relations and approa…
National ownership and donor involvement: An aid paradox illustrated by the case of Rwanda
A paradox in current international development cooperation is comprised by the simultaneous insistence on national ownership and far-reaching donor involvement through policy dialogue. In order to better understand this combination of a strong ownership ideal and extensive donor presence, this article explores how national and external actors portray the process of formulating and revising development policies and programmes in an aid recipient c…
The ‘Local Turn’ in Peacebuilding: The Liberal Peace Challenged
Defected Civilian Civil Servants: Perceptions of Regime Strength in Syria
This paper explores why Syrian civil servants decide to defect from the Syrian bureaucratic apparatus and how regime strength is perceived among these defectors. The paper contributes to existing studies on defection in which the main focus is often on military civil servants, by expanding the scope of the investigation to defections among civilian civil servants working in public administration. The analytical framework of ‘state infrastructural…
Safer Field Research in the Social Sciences: A Guide to Human and Digital Security in Hostile Environments
Peace research meets implementation studies: The role of implementing actors
In spite of a vibrant debate about the genesis, logic and effects of peace operations, peace research remains poorly equipped to account for how policies are implemented and 'translated into practice' - issues that have been the focus in implementation studies for nearly five decades. In response, we propose a merger of certain strands of peace research with bottom-up implementation studies, which forefronts the role of 'implementing actors', nam…
Newly arrived migrants meet street-level bureaucrats in Jordan, Sweden, and Turkey: Client perceptions of satisfaction–dissatisfaction and response strategies
The article examines how newly arrived Syrian refugees experience and navigate their encounters with street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) in three urban settings: Adana, Turkey; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Irbid, Jordan. The encounters took place in the context of local government institutions responsible for assisting refugees upon their arrival in the host society. The broader question examined is how refugees respond when experiencing dissatisfaction w…
Navigating through depoliticisation: International stakeholders and refugee reception in Jordan and Turkey
The reception of Syrian refugees has dominated negotiations between neighbouring host states, such as Jordan and Turkey, and donors in the Global North. Despite the growing literature on external funding, how international stakeholders navigate the domestic context is understudied. This article employs the lens of depoliticisation and analyses tools employed by international stakeholders manoeuvring domestic contexts in centralised states. We arg…
Sweden, Nato and the role of diasporas in foreign policy
When and how do diasporas influence the foreign policy of liberal democratic states? Few studies have sought to conceptualize how diasporas affect strategic bilateral relations between states. We argue that these non-state actors are an increasingly important factor in western liberal democratic societies, which challenge traditional theories of foreign policy. To explore when and how the transnational societal ties and interests of diaspora grou…
Geocultural Power in the Red Sea Region
In this research note, we argue that traditional geopolitical and geoeconomic arguments that seek to make sense of growing engagements between countries of the Middle East and the Horn of Africa often ascribe little significance to notions of culture and history that underpin the narratives of collaborations that have developed across the Red Sea. To address this shortcoming, we turn to the concept of geocultural power—understood as the mobilizat…
Identity, homeland and transformative events: Diaspora mobilisation among Jews and Israelis in Sweden
This article problematises four interlinked concepts: diaspora identity, diaspora mobilisation, the idea of a “homeland”, and the role of transformative events. We explore how diasporas identify with and respond to significant events in their homeland, assessing whether specific identities align with particular strategies of mobilisation. The study contributes novel data on two underexplored groups – Swedish Jews and Israelis residing in Sweden –…
Political science (19 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Law (9 works) · Politics (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Economics (7 works) · Public Administration (7 works) · Economic growth (5 works) · International Development and Aid (5 works) · Peacebuilding and International Security (5 works)