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Showing papers by "Swedish National Defence College published in 2022"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) is used as an illustrative case to identify and interrogate ten selected truisms, from across the social and natural sciences, that have been prevalent in shaping DRR research and practice.
Abstract: Action toward strengthened disaster risk reduction (DRR) ideally builds from evidence-based policymaking to inform decisions and priorities. This is a guiding principle for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), which outlines priorities for action to reduce disaster risk. However, some of these practical guidelines conceal oversimplified or unsubstantiated claims and assumptions, what we refer to as ‘truisms’, which, if not properly addressed, may jeopardize the long-term goal to reduce disaster risks. Thus far, much DRR research has focused on ways to bridge the gap between science and practice while devoting less attention to the premises that shape the understanding of DRR issues. In this article, written in the spirit of a perspective piece on the state of the DRR field, we utilize the SFDRR as an illustrative case to identify and interrogate ten selected truisms, from across the social and natural sciences, that have been prevalent in shaping DRR research and practice. The ten truisms concern forecasting, loss, conflict, migration, the local level, collaboration, social capital, prevention, policy change, and risk awareness. We discuss central claims associated with each truism, relate those claims to insights in recent DRR scholarship, and end with suggestions for developing the field through advances in conceptualization, measurement, and causal inference.

7 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined the reception and dissemination of malicious information influence (MII) in a liberal democracy; information sponsored by authoritarian regimes or other hostile actors and projected through international broadcasting outlets across borders.
Abstract: This article examines the reception and dissemination of ‘malign information influence’ (MII) in a liberal democracy; information sponsored by authoritarian regimes or other hostile actors and projected through international broadcasting outlets across borders. The study contributes to the scarce research on the reception of narratives transmitted by the Russian state-supported media platforms RT and Sputnik, exposing characteristics, political attitudes, and sharing behaviors of RT/Sputnik consumers. A nationwide, representative survey (n: 3033) from November 2020 revealed a surprisingly high number of Swedish RT/Sputnik consumers (7%), with an overrepresentation of young, men and supports of non-parliamentarian parties and the right wing, nationalist Sweden Democratic Party. These consumers are somewhat more willing than non-consumers to disseminate news on social media and in real life despite being distrustful of the sources. The findings strengthen previous research in demonstrating the attractiveness of identity grievance narratives among alternative media consumers, yet the results show that RT/Sputnik consumers also aligned with narratives that contrasts with national security policy. They state less trust in politicians, institutions, the media, news, and journalism, yet are comparatively prone to share unreliable or untrue news content on social media and in real life. The analysis thus identified a section of media consumers who can function as vehicles for the dissemination of MII. The article contributes to the under-researched problem of the potential of MII to take root and provides a basis for future qualitative research that can refine and provide nuance to the knowledge of reception of MII.

6 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Chan et al. as mentioned in this paper , 2019.Contesting revisionism: China, the United States, and the Transformation of International Order. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021.
Abstract: Contesting Revisionism: China, the United States, and the Transformation of International Order. By Steve Chan, Huiyun Feng, Kai He, and Weixing Hu. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. 224p. 26.09 paper. - Volume 20 Issue 3

Book ChapterDOI
25 Jul 2022

Book ChapterDOI
03 Dec 2022
TL;DR: In this paper , a construct specification equation (CSE) is proposed to explain memory task difficulty, extracted from a Rasch psychometric analysis of memory measurements of experimental data such as from the European NeuroMET project, based on that understanding, the CSE can facilitate the establishment of objective and scalable units through the generation of certified reference materials for metrological traceability and comparability.
Abstract: Abstract Memory ability, together with many other constructs related to disability and quality of life, is of growing interest in the social sciences, psychology and in health care examinations. This chapter will focus on two elements aiming at understanding, predicting, measuring and quality-assuring constructs with examples from memory measurements: (i) explicit methods for testing theories of the measurement mechanism and establishment of metrological standards and (ii) substantive theories explaining the constructs themselves. Building on entropy as a principal explanatory variable, analogous to its use in thermodynamics and information theory, we demonstrate how more fit-for-purpose and valid memory measurements can be enabled. Firstly, memory task difficulty, extracted from a Rasch psychometric analysis of memory measurements of experimental data such as from the European NeuroMET project, can be explained with a construct specification equation (CSE). Based on that understanding, the CSE can facilitate the establishment of objective and scalable units through the generation of novel certified reference “materials” for metrological traceability and comparability. These formulations of CSEs can also guide how best to compose new memory metrics, through a judicious choice of items from various legacy tests guided by entropy-based equivalence, which opens up opportunities for formulating new, less onerous but more sensitive and representative tests. Finally, we propose and demonstrate how to formulate CSEs for person ability, correlated statistically and clinically with sets of biomarkers, that can be a means of providing diagnostic information to enhance clinical decisions and targeted interventions.

Book ChapterDOI
25 Jul 2022



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors argue that war is too important to be left to generals and political scientists, but that this is inevitable if ethnographers continue to distance themselves from the study of war, and that ethnography helps with the ethical responsibility of giving war a human face.
Abstract: The Russo-Ukrainian war raises the question about the utility of ethnography in understanding interstate war. As anthropology and sociology have historically punched below their weight when it comes to understanding interstate war and warfare, much of the academic study of war has been occupied by political science. In this article I discuss why this is unfortunate, yet not inevitable. I also discuss three strengths of ethnography in studying war. First, ethnography helps us to restore ambiguity into polarized understandings of war. Second, ethnography can assist us in understanding strategy because of its focus on people and the societies we constitute. Third, ethnography helps with the ethical responsibility of giving war a human face. I conclude by arguing that war is too important to be left to generals and political scientists, but that this is inevitable if ethnographers continue to distance themselves from the study of war.

Book ChapterDOI
25 Jul 2022

Book ChapterDOI
25 Jul 2022


Book ChapterDOI
31 Dec 2022

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2022

Journal ArticleDOI
06 May 2022
TL;DR: In this paper , an autoethnographic study of how discrimination and prejudice counteract the academic meritocratic system is presented in Sweden, which is one of the most gender-equal countries in the world.
Abstract: This narrative is an autoethnographic study of how discrimination and prejudice counteract the academic meritocratic system. In Sweden, which is one of the most gender-equal countries in the world, opposition to gender equality and prejudices against what is considered the Other can be hidden and thus reproduced in decision-making processes and structures. This narrative shows how a professorial recruitment process bypassed the meritocratic system i.e., the system in which qualifications and educational results in combination with the individual’s achievements should play the greatest role in the promotion process. This is a story about how the supposed meritocracy is twisted and manipulated within university contexts and how the “temperament” of a foreign female researcher is utilised to exclude her from entering through the coveted doors of academic departments. Different experiences, characterised by demanding conditions, have been analysed with the help of gender theoretical perspectives, opposition to gender equality, intercultural perspectives and a number of social psychological perspectives linked to prejudice. The description is interwoven with previous experiences from younger years, which together contribute to an increased understanding of the individual narrative and its specific context.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigated the relationship between moral stress reactions and resulting coping efforts in severely morally challenging situations, and found that the immediate moral stress reaction and coping strategies following emotionally challenging situations appear to be related to both positive long-term reactions and to indicators of PTSD.
Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between moral stress reactions and resulting coping efforts in severely morally challenging situations. Long-term positive reactions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) indicators following morally challenging situations are also studied. The sample consisted of cadets and officers (n = 332) from Norway and Sweden. Long-term positive reactions were found to be associated with limited moral stress reactions during the challenging episode and frequent use of acceptance and positive reappraisal coping strategies. Long-term high scores on a PTSD indicator scale covaried with high scores on Openness, a strong moral stress reaction, and frequent use of instrumental coping strategies. The main conclusion is that the immediate moral stress reaction and coping strategies following morally challenging situations appear to be related to both positive long-term reactions and to indicators of PTSD.