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Regional Reestablishment of the Civil Defense

Snygg Kvernes, Gabriel LU (2025) SIMZ11 20251
Graduate School
Abstract
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to analyze the governance and administration of
Sweden’s civil defense on the regional level in relation to domestic and international
developments since February 2022, such as the structural reform of the civil defense and
Sweden’s Accession to NATO. To analyze this issue, a case study is conducted on the Civil
Defense Region West and its two County Administrative Boards in the counties of Västra
Götaland and Halland. Multi-Level Governance theories are used to create an analytical
framework where data from in-depth interviews with four civil servants at the County
Administrative Boards are analyzed in a thematic analysis. Three main themes have been
identified in the data: Firstly, that the... (More)
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to analyze the governance and administration of
Sweden’s civil defense on the regional level in relation to domestic and international
developments since February 2022, such as the structural reform of the civil defense and
Sweden’s Accession to NATO. To analyze this issue, a case study is conducted on the Civil
Defense Region West and its two County Administrative Boards in the counties of Västra
Götaland and Halland. Multi-Level Governance theories are used to create an analytical
framework where data from in-depth interviews with four civil servants at the County
Administrative Boards are analyzed in a thematic analysis. Three main themes have been
identified in the data: Firstly, that the bureaucratic dynamics in the Civil Defense Region are
characterized by uncertainty and friction as a consequence of the insufficiently defined
mandates from the 2022 structural reform. The results from the second theme shows that the
assistance of Swedish or allied military forces has become an increasingly prioritized
objective. And lastly, the third pattern shows that as more layers of actors and higher
demands are introduced to the rapidly growing civil defense, the County Administrative
Boards are faced with the difficult task of coordinating and prioritizing the realization of civil
defense initiatives with connections to all layers in the system. (Less)
Popular Abstract
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to analyze the governance and administration of
Sweden’s civil defense on the regional level in relation to domestic and international
developments since February 2022, such as the structural reform of the civil defense and
Sweden’s Accession to NATO. To analyze this issue, a case study is conducted on the Civil
Defense Region West and its two County Administrative Boards in the counties of Västra
Götaland and Halland. Multi-Level Governance theories are used to create an analytical
framework where data from in-depth interviews with four civil servants at the County
Administrative Boards are analyzed in a thematic analysis. Three main themes have been
identified in the data: Firstly, that the... (More)
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to analyze the governance and administration of
Sweden’s civil defense on the regional level in relation to domestic and international
developments since February 2022, such as the structural reform of the civil defense and
Sweden’s Accession to NATO. To analyze this issue, a case study is conducted on the Civil
Defense Region West and its two County Administrative Boards in the counties of Västra
Götaland and Halland. Multi-Level Governance theories are used to create an analytical
framework where data from in-depth interviews with four civil servants at the County
Administrative Boards are analyzed in a thematic analysis. Three main themes have been
identified in the data: Firstly, that the bureaucratic dynamics in the Civil Defense Region are
characterized by uncertainty and friction as a consequence of the insufficiently defined
mandates from the 2022 structural reform. The results from the second theme shows that the
assistance of Swedish or allied military forces has become an increasingly prioritized
objective. And lastly, the third pattern shows that as more layers of actors and higher
demands are introduced to the rapidly growing civil defense, the County Administrative
Boards are faced with the difficult task of coordinating and prioritizing the realization of civil
defense initiatives with connections to all layers in the system. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Snygg Kvernes, Gabriel LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ11 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Civil defense, County Administrative Boards, Security, Total Defense, Multi-Level Governance.
language
English
id
9201854
date added to LUP
2025-06-27 12:43:29
date last changed
2025-06-27 12:43:29
@misc{9201854,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this master’s thesis is to analyze the governance and administration of
Sweden’s civil defense on the regional level in relation to domestic and international
developments since February 2022, such as the structural reform of the civil defense and
Sweden’s Accession to NATO. To analyze this issue, a case study is conducted on the Civil
Defense Region West and its two County Administrative Boards in the counties of Västra
Götaland and Halland. Multi-Level Governance theories are used to create an analytical
framework where data from in-depth interviews with four civil servants at the County
Administrative Boards are analyzed in a thematic analysis. Three main themes have been
identified in the data: Firstly, that the bureaucratic dynamics in the Civil Defense Region are
characterized by uncertainty and friction as a consequence of the insufficiently defined
mandates from the 2022 structural reform. The results from the second theme shows that the
assistance of Swedish or allied military forces has become an increasingly prioritized
objective. And lastly, the third pattern shows that as more layers of actors and higher
demands are introduced to the rapidly growing civil defense, the County Administrative
Boards are faced with the difficult task of coordinating and prioritizing the realization of civil
defense initiatives with connections to all layers in the system.}},
  author       = {{Snygg Kvernes, Gabriel}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Regional Reestablishment of the Civil Defense}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}