Structures and Dynamics of Low-income Work in Sweden : A Geographical Inquiry
(2025)- Abstract
- The transformation to the knowledge economy has reshaped the foundations of work, opportunity, and political sentiment across advanced democracies. Much of the public and academic debate has emphasized deepening regional divides, increasing inequalities, growing precarity, the erosion of upward mobility, and growing social discontent.
This PhD thesis explores the geographies of low-income work in Sweden through three core research questions: 1) Where and why has low-income work concentrated during the transformation into the knowledge economy? 2) How do geographical contexts shape opportunities for upward mobility from low-income work? And 3) In what ways have the geographies of low-income work influenced the geographies of discontent?... (More) - The transformation to the knowledge economy has reshaped the foundations of work, opportunity, and political sentiment across advanced democracies. Much of the public and academic debate has emphasized deepening regional divides, increasing inequalities, growing precarity, the erosion of upward mobility, and growing social discontent.
This PhD thesis explores the geographies of low-income work in Sweden through three core research questions: 1) Where and why has low-income work concentrated during the transformation into the knowledge economy? 2) How do geographical contexts shape opportunities for upward mobility from low-income work? And 3) In what ways have the geographies of low-income work influenced the geographies of discontent? In doing so, this thesis advances our understanding of the changing structures and dynamics of low-income work amid structural transformation.
The findings indicate that while the knowledge economy is often associated with increasing inequalities and polarization, it has not resulted in a growing concentration of low-income work in Sweden. Instead, dynamics of upgrading and labor market tightening have contributed to a national decline in low-wage employment and convergence across regions. Geography, moreover, continues to shape opportunities. Crucially, the prospects for upward mobility among low-income workers are influenced not only by the extent and qualities of formal and informal networks, but also by the ways workers are embedded in them. Finally, political discontent – often framed as a reaction to economic decline – appears to reflect more diffuse anxieties. Support for far-right populism is higher in regions with more high-income work, less low-income work, and lower mobility rates, pointing toward concerns about relative status and blocked opportunities rather than just economic hardship.
Overall, these insights push back against overly pessimistic accounts of technological change and the polarization literature. The Swedish model – combining innovation with inclusion – shows that more equitable trajectories are possible. In this way, the thesis offers valuable insights into how institutional and spatial arrangements can shape labor market outcomes and mitigate the destabilizing effects of economic transformation. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Framväxten och övergången till en alltmer kunskapsbaserad ekonomi har de senaste decennierna omformat grunderna för arbete, möjligheter och politiska attityder i de flesta avancerade ekonomier. Mycket av den offentliga och akademiska debatten har i detta sammanhang betonat ökande regionala klyftor, växande ojämlikheter, ökad osäkerhet, minskad social rörlighet och i kölvattnet av detta också ett växande missnöje i samhället.
Denna avhandling undersöker de geografiska mönstren för låginkomstarbete i Sverige genom tre centrala forskningsfrågor: 1) I vilken utsträckning och i så fall varför har låginkomstarbete koncentrerats under omvandlingen till en kunskapsbaserad ekonomi? 2) Hur formar geografiska kontexter möjligheterna till... (More) - Framväxten och övergången till en alltmer kunskapsbaserad ekonomi har de senaste decennierna omformat grunderna för arbete, möjligheter och politiska attityder i de flesta avancerade ekonomier. Mycket av den offentliga och akademiska debatten har i detta sammanhang betonat ökande regionala klyftor, växande ojämlikheter, ökad osäkerhet, minskad social rörlighet och i kölvattnet av detta också ett växande missnöje i samhället.
Denna avhandling undersöker de geografiska mönstren för låginkomstarbete i Sverige genom tre centrala forskningsfrågor: 1) I vilken utsträckning och i så fall varför har låginkomstarbete koncentrerats under omvandlingen till en kunskapsbaserad ekonomi? 2) Hur formar geografiska kontexter möjligheterna till uppåtgående arbetsmarknadsrörlighet från låginkomstarbete? 3) På vilka sätt har geografierna för låginkomstarbete påverkat det politiska missnöjets regionala utbredning och förändring?
Genom att besvara dessa frågor bidrar avhandlingen till en fördjupad förståelse av hur förändrade strukturer påverkar dynamiken inom låginkomstarbete i en tid av strukturell omvandling.
Resultaten visar att även om kunskapsekonomin ofta kopplas till ökande ojämlikhet och polarisering, har detta inte lett till en ökad koncentration av låginkomstarbete i Sverige. Istället har dynamiker av uppgradering och åtstramning på arbetsmarknaden bidragit till en nationell minskning av låglönearbete och en konvergens mellan regioner. Geografiska förutsättningar påverkar dessutom möjligheterna att avancera från låginkomstsituationer. Avgörande är att möjligheterna till uppåtgående rörlighet för låginkomsttagare inte bara påverkas av omfattningen och kvaliteten på formella och informella nätverk, utan också av hur arbetstagare är inbäddade i dessa nätverk.
Slutligen tyder det politiska missnöjet – som ofta beskrivs som en reaktion på ekonomisk nedgång – på en mer diffus oro. Stödet för högerpopulism är högre i regioner med större förekomsthöginkomstarbete men med lägre andelar låginkomstarbete i kombination med en förhållandevis låg regionalarbetsmarknadsrörlighet, vilket pekar mot oro över relativ status och blockerade möjligheter snarare än enbart ekonomiska svårigheter.
Sammantaget utmanar dessa insikter alltför pessimistiska tolkningar av teknologisk förändring och den polariseringsinriktade litteraturen. Den svenska modellen – som kombinerar innovation med inkludering – visar att mer jämlika utvecklingsbanor är möjliga. På så sätt ger avhandlingen värdefulla insikter i hur institutionella och rumsliga arrangemang kan forma arbetsmarknadsutfall och mildra de destabiliserande effekterna av ekonomisk omvandling. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/de12b014-bed9-4523-afd6-3cff855c6ea9
- author
- von Borries, Alvaro LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Eriksson, Rikard, Umeå University
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-07
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- low-income work, upward mobility, polarization, structural transformation, knowledge economy, discontent
- pages
- 91 pages
- publisher
- Lund University (Media-Tryck)
- defense location
- Världen, Geocentrum I, Sölvegatan 10, Lund
- defense date
- 2025-09-03 13:15:00
- ISBN
- 978-91-8104-574-1
- 978-91-8104-573-4
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- de12b014-bed9-4523-afd6-3cff855c6ea9
- date added to LUP
- 2025-08-07 08:51:31
- date last changed
- 2025-08-07 12:13:14
@phdthesis{de12b014-bed9-4523-afd6-3cff855c6ea9,
abstract = {{The transformation to the knowledge economy has reshaped the foundations of work, opportunity, and political sentiment across advanced democracies. Much of the public and academic debate has emphasized deepening regional divides, increasing inequalities, growing precarity, the erosion of upward mobility, and growing social discontent.<br/>This PhD thesis explores the geographies of low-income work in Sweden through three core research questions: 1) Where and why has low-income work concentrated during the transformation into the knowledge economy? 2) How do geographical contexts shape opportunities for upward mobility from low-income work? And 3) In what ways have the geographies of low-income work influenced the geographies of discontent? In doing so, this thesis advances our understanding of the changing structures and dynamics of low-income work amid structural transformation.<br/>The findings indicate that while the knowledge economy is often associated with increasing inequalities and polarization, it has not resulted in a growing concentration of low-income work in Sweden. Instead, dynamics of upgrading and labor market tightening have contributed to a national decline in low-wage employment and convergence across regions. Geography, moreover, continues to shape opportunities. Crucially, the prospects for upward mobility among low-income workers are influenced not only by the extent and qualities of formal and informal networks, but also by the ways workers are embedded in them. Finally, political discontent – often framed as a reaction to economic decline – appears to reflect more diffuse anxieties. Support for far-right populism is higher in regions with more high-income work, less low-income work, and lower mobility rates, pointing toward concerns about relative status and blocked opportunities rather than just economic hardship.<br/>Overall, these insights push back against overly pessimistic accounts of technological change and the polarization literature. The Swedish model – combining innovation with inclusion – shows that more equitable trajectories are possible. In this way, the thesis offers valuable insights into how institutional and spatial arrangements can shape labor market outcomes and mitigate the destabilizing effects of economic transformation.}},
author = {{von Borries, Alvaro}},
isbn = {{978-91-8104-574-1}},
keywords = {{low-income work; upward mobility; polarization; structural transformation; knowledge economy; discontent}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Lund University (Media-Tryck)}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Structures and Dynamics of Low-income Work in Sweden : A Geographical Inquiry}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/224891744/Alvaro_von_Borries_-WEBB.pdf}},
year = {{2025}},
}