Showing papers by "Swedish National Defence College published in 2010"

The Logic of Policy Change after Crisis : Proximity and Subsystem Interaction

Abstract: What mechanisms link external events to policy change in a policy subsystem? This paper responds to this question by offering a nuanced re-conceptualization of external events and by identifying the mechanisms that link disruptive crises to policy change Building from the tenets of the advocacy coalition framework and a synthesis of the crisis management and policy change literatures, this paper (1) introduces the concept of policy and geographical proximity as a means to show how different types of crises alter the incentives for policy action within policy subsystems; (2) discusses an integrated set of proposals on how geographical and policy proximity affects the prospects of change in a policy subsystem; and (3) presents hypothesized scenarios outlining plausible intervening pathways linking a crisis to changes as contingent on policy subsystem structures

Do Advocacy Coalitions Matter? Crisis and Change in Swedish Nuclear Energy Policy

Abstract: This study applies the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to developments in Swedish nuclear energy policy in the 1970s and 80s. In an effort to contribute to the refinement and debate regarding th ...

Heart rate variability (HRV) in adolescent females with anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder

Abstract: AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate heart rate variability (HRV) in a clinical sample of female adolescents with anxiety disorders (AD) and/or major depressive disorder (MDD) compared wit ...

Keeping Peace or Spurring Violence? Unintended Effects of Peace Operations on Violence against Civilians

Abstract: Are peace operations effective in managing violence against civilians in civil wars? I examine the short-term effects of peace operations on the intensity of violence against the civilian population in internal conflicts. Missions are often sent to ongoing conflicts, where the warring parties have not yet managed to settle their dispute through the use of military means. I propose three mechanisms through which the presence of a third party may increase the parties' incentives to target civilians. A quantitative assessment of all intrastate armed conflicts, 1989–2006, shows that while the presence of a peace operation does not have a clear effect on government violence, it is associated with higher levels of violence by rebel groups. Only UN peace operations with an explicit mandate to protect civilians significantly reduce violence against civilians by rebels.

Quality of care and patient satisfaction: a new theoretical and methodological approach.

Abstract: Purpose – The paper's purpose is to develop a care‐context adapted version of the emotional stress reaction questionnaire (ESRQ), which is based on the cognitive‐phenomenological writings of Lazarus, and, using this instrument, to explore the relationship between quality of care from a patient perspective and patient satisfaction while taking key antecedent conditions into account.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 624 patients at 16 Swedish out‐patient clinics (75 per cent response rate). Patients responded to the ERSQ, the quality from the patient's perspective questionnaire (QPP), the single‐item measures of personality (SIMP), and questions related to the outcome of the visit. Dimensionality of the ESRQ was analysed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The relationship between the theoretical concepts was explored with logistic regression analysis.Findings – A care‐context adapted version of the ESRQ was developed with meaningful factors and satisfac...

Winning ‘Hearts and Minds’? A Critical Analysis of Counter-Insurgency Operations in Afghanistan

Abstract: This article conducts a critical analysis of the historical lessons, theassumptions and the conduct of ‘hearts and minds’ approaches to counterinsurgency.This results in challenges. Theoretically t ...

Organizational culture effects on strategy and adaptability in crisis management

Abstract: This article presents a typology of temporal organizational responsesto crises in public perception aimed at examining the ability of organizations torestructure in order to cope with acute crisis ...

Converging Under Pressure? : Counterterrorism Policy Developments in the European Union Member States

Abstract: Converging Under Pressure? : Counterterrorism Policy Developments in the European Union Member States

A Tear in the Social Fabric: Communities Dealing with Socially Generated Crises

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to develop knowledge about demands and experiences relating to management of socially generated crises in local communities. Interviews were conducted in four municipalities with experiences of such situations, e.g., widely publicized murders, suicides or cases of sexual abuse. A modified grounded theory analysis of the interviews identified six central themes. Two themes pertained to the actual event and its consequences; two concerned the management of the crisis; and two themes focused on reactions and needs among those involved. Basic tensions were identified between confidentiality and openness, between support and accountability and between empathy and distancing. Similarities and differences in relation to management of other kinds of crises are discussed.

The Role of Marketization in the Europeanization of Defense Industry Policy.

Abstract: European integration has increased to encompass security-related policies. One such policy is defense industry policy, which traditionally has been a national concern rooted in defense and security policy. Efforts have been made since the 1990s to create a European defense industry market. However, there have been different ideas of how this goal should be achieved or which model for state—industry relations the market should rest on. Using Sweden to illustrate the development, this article argues that for the Europeanization of defense industry policy, marketization has played a vital role. Building on official documents and interviews, the article analyzes the efforts to create a European defense industry market, marketization of Swedish defense industry policy, and the increased interaction between Swedish and European defense industry policy processes. The analysis also shows domestic challenges that the processes of Europeanization and marketization have brought about.

Structure versus freedom of action : Leadership during the rescue operation following the 2004 tsunami

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical understanding of leadership during a complex rescue operation following a major disaster in a foreign country. The analysis followed a grounded theory approach. Seventeen informants from three Swedish authorities were interviewed on leadership in the emergency handling of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. A theoretical conceptualisation was developed which includes three superior categories: antecedent conditions, situational constraints and core aspects of leadership. Within the last-mentioned superior category a core variable was identified: a balance between the need for structure and the need for freedom. Leaders who strive to create structure at the expense of freedom of action are less inclined to delegate and more likely to wear themselves out. Conversely, those who strive to create great freedom of action bypass many links in the organisational chain, thus 'short-circuiting' the organisation as a whole.

The Centrality of Non-traditional Groups for Security in the Globalized Era: The Case of Children

Abstract: The globalized security situation characterized by transnational threats and international interventionism in ‘‘new wars,’’ connect non traditional local actors and traditional global actors to one ...

The inadequacy of an ordinary organization : Organisational adaptation to crisis through planned and spontaneous links

Abstract: The inadequacy of an ordinary organization : Organisational adaptation to crisis through planned and spontaneous links

A civil contingencies agency management system for disaster aid: a theoretical model

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper theoretical understanding of a civil contingencies agency that, as part of its ordinary task, executes humanitarian aid and rescue operations following disasters in an international milieu, from a management perspective.Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a qualitative interview study using a grounded theory approach to analysis.Findings – A theoretical model was developed consisting of a hierarchical system of codes, categories, and superior categories. One superior category labelled underlying conditions consists of factors influencing the operative organisation abroad, such as political rule, availability of financiers, and the everyday activities of the organisation. Another superior category labelled the operation contains the dimension of time (before, during, and after the operation). Two core variables underlying rationale and resource structure of the operation were identified, whereby underlying rationale may be efficienc...

Flexibility and Rigidity in Crisis Management and Learning at Swedish Public Organizations

Abstract: To date the relationship between crises,organizational crisis management, and learninghas been understudied. In an effort tobroaden theoretical understandings of therelation between crisis and lear ...

A Construct Validation of a Profession-Focused Personality Questionnaire (PQ) Versus the FFPI and the SIMP

Abstract: This study is a construct validation of a profession-focused personality questionnaire (PQ), based on the Big Five, and developed for a military population and military context. The sample (N = 363 ...

Shielding the net – understanding the issue of vulnerability and threat to the information society

Abstract: There are a number of vulnerabilities, which are increasing in potential effects, as society grows increasingly digitised and increasingly interconnected. Critical information infrastructure (CII) ...

Reconfigurable Radio Systems : Towards Secure Collaboration for Peace Support and Public Safety

Abstract: As military priorities are shifting from invasion defense to crisis management and peace support operations, the capability to partake in efficient inter-organizational collaboration is becoming in ...

The Human Factor

Abstract: On March 27, 1977, an aircraft disaster occurred in Tenerife on the Canary Islands that sheds some light on the concept of the human factor. The background to the accident was a terrorist attack on the airport in Las Palmas, which led to the redirection of all air traffic to Tenerife including one Pan AM aircraft and one KLM aircraft. The crews of the two aircraft were very concerned about the redirection. In the case of the Pan Am aircraft, there was a risk that the regulated working hours would be exceeded before they reached their final destination in Las Palmas. The KLM aircraft was to return to the Netherlands, and delays were not accepted by the airline management.

Today's quest for international criminal justice: a short overview of the present state of criminal prosecution of international crimes

Abstract: The subject of administering international criminal justice has again grasped our short lived attention when the decision of the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to apply for an arrest warrant against the Sudanese state president Omar Bashir made the news. This chapter attempts to provide a short overview of the possibilities of holding individuals criminally accountable for human rights atrocities before the different existing international criminal forums.

International Aid and the Process of Legalization: The Extreme Case of the European Union’s Eastward Enlargement

Abstract: This chapter analyzes the pre-accession process created to prepare Central and East European (CEE) countries for membership in the European Union (EU) as a set of evolving donor-recipient relations. CEE-EU ties constitute a highly unusual example of donor-recipient relations for three main reasons, namely its enormous scope, its ambitious short-term objectives, and its highly legalized character. By March 2006 the European Commission reported that 99 per cent of the acquis communautaire, including the crucial internal market regulations, had been transposed into domestic legislation of the new members states. Whereas many commentators on international aid have emphasized the detrimental effects of ‘donor congestion,’ this phenomenon is inherently problematic only insofar as donors promote different objectives or set up institutions that will not co-exist easily with structures established by others. In fact, ‘donor saturation’ may be an important explanation behind the substantial progress achieved in fifteen years of enlarging the EU to encompass CEE countries, through what began as traditional aid and in the pre-accession stage was transformed into a more symmetric relationship, one that eventually made the very concept of aid obsolete.

Pre-Trial Detention and Control Orders Under British Anti-Terror Legislation Post 9/11: Balancing a Need for Security With the European Convention on Human Rights – An Overview

Abstract: Contemporary British anti-terror legislation has been characterised by an extensive use of extra-ordinary detention measures: the Terrorism Act 2000 and Terrorism Act 2006 contain provisions, which enable the extended pre-charge detention of terror suspects beyond the limits of normal criminal procedure. The now repealed provisions of Part IV of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 allowed the indefinite detention of foreign national terror suspects on a quasi-judicial basis. Its successor, the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, enables the use of Control Orders, effectively a form of house arrest characterised by restrictions on an individual’s liberty. In short, these measures have in common the extensive limitation of the individual’s right to liberty under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Whilst the judiciary have curtailed the most abhorrent manifestations of such extraordinary measures, as detailed, the legal framework as it exists today, still raises ECHR compliancy issues. Legal reformation should be sought to end such an impasse by amending at the very least the statutory framework already in place. Ideally anti-terror detention provisions should be brought back within the sphere of criminal law and in compliance with the ECHR.

A Microworld Study of Task Force Commanders Executing a Maritime Escort Mission

Abstract: This paper presents an exploratory microworld study with the aim to identify individual dierences between participants, and relate those dierence to how well the participant solves the task. Six oc ...

Risk Judgment by General Dental practitioners: Rational but Uninformed

Abstract: Background: Decisions by dentists to administer antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent infectious complications in patients involves professional risk assessment. While recommendations for rational use have been published, several studies have shown that dentists have low adherence to these recommendations. Objective: To examine general dental practitioners’ (GDPs’) assessments of the risk of complications if not administering antibiotic prophylaxis in connection with dental procedures in patients with specific medical conditions. Methods: Postal questionnaires in combination with telephone interviews. Risk assessments were made using visual analogue scales (VAS), where zero represented “insignificant risk” and 100 represented a “very significant risk”. Results: Response rate: 51%. The mean risk assessments were higher for GDPs who administered antibiotics (mean = 54, SD = 23, range 26–72 mm on the VAS) than those who did not (mean = 14, SD = 12, range 7–31 mm) (P < 0.05). Generally, GDPs made higher risk assessments for patients with medical conditions that are included in recommendations than those with conditions that are not included. Overall, risk assessments were higher for tooth removal than for scaling or root canal treatment, even though the risk assessments should be considered equal for these interventions. Conclusions: GDPs’ risk assessments were rational but uninformed. They administered antibiotics in a manner that was consistent with their risk assessments. Their risk assessments, however, were overestimated. Inaccurate judgments of risk should not be expected to disappear in the presence of new information. To achieve change, clinicians must be motivated to improve behaviour and an evidence- based implementation strategy is required.

Are Quantity-Distances Narrowing in?

Abstract: Quantity-Distance (QD) is an established method used among other things for safety related to ammunition storage. The beauty of the QD-method is obvious - the simplicity - a simple solution to a co ...

7.4.1 Contributions Towards Unifying System Semantics

Abstract: What is it that characterizes a system? Certainly as systems engineers this is a vital question to ask. While most will claim that it is a question of perspective (viewpoint and view), this does not help us in identifying key aspects that can lead to useful discipline independent semantics for systems. There have been several system experts that have expressed their perspectives in this regard. The current paper identifies and utilizes some of these contributions and then identifies a key set of concepts and principles as well as a unifying mental model collectively called the System Survival Kit. The survival kit generically identifies the relationship between situation systems, respondent systems and system assets in a manner that can be applied to any system related situation. These contributions are based upon experiences in teaching people from many disciplines to “think” and “act” in terms of systems.