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Demokrati och expertis i kris: Ett fall av Covid-19 pandemin i Sverige

Blidén, Marcus LU and Widmark, Oscar LU (2025) STVK04 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This thesis analyzes Sweden's management of the covid-19 pandemic with a focus on the balance between expert authority and democratic responsibility in a crisis scenario. The Study is based on the Corona commissions report and relevant scholarly literature, which are used to analyze how expert knowledge shaped political decision-making and public communication. The findings show that the Swedish government relied heavily on the public health agency's assessments which blurred the line between political accountability and expert influence. Challenges such as weak leadership, contradictory messages, lack of transparency and unclear distribution of responsibility further limited opportunities for open democratic debate. These factors raised... (More)
This thesis analyzes Sweden's management of the covid-19 pandemic with a focus on the balance between expert authority and democratic responsibility in a crisis scenario. The Study is based on the Corona commissions report and relevant scholarly literature, which are used to analyze how expert knowledge shaped political decision-making and public communication. The findings show that the Swedish government relied heavily on the public health agency's assessments which blurred the line between political accountability and expert influence. Challenges such as weak leadership, contradictory messages, lack of transparency and unclear distribution of responsibility further limited opportunities for open democratic debate. These factors raised concerns about trust, legitimacy and the role of expertise in democratic crisis management. The thesis concludes that while expertise played a crucial role in Sweden's pandemic response, strong political accountability is necessary to secure democratic legitimacy in future crises. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Blidén, Marcus LU and Widmark, Oscar LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK04 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Expertkunskap, Krishantering, Covid-19
language
Swedish
id
9210316
date added to LUP
2025-09-10 15:55:39
date last changed
2025-09-10 15:55:39
@misc{9210316,
  abstract     = {{This thesis analyzes Sweden's management of the covid-19 pandemic with a focus on the balance between expert authority and democratic responsibility in a crisis scenario. The Study is based on the Corona commissions report and relevant scholarly literature, which are used to analyze how expert knowledge shaped political decision-making and public communication. The findings show that the Swedish government relied heavily on the public health agency's assessments which blurred the line between political accountability and expert influence. Challenges such as weak leadership, contradictory messages, lack of transparency and unclear distribution of responsibility further limited opportunities for open democratic debate. These factors raised concerns about trust, legitimacy and the role of expertise in democratic crisis management. The thesis concludes that while expertise played a crucial role in Sweden's pandemic response, strong political accountability is necessary to secure democratic legitimacy in future crises.}},
  author       = {{Blidén, Marcus and Widmark, Oscar}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Demokrati och expertis i kris: Ett fall av Covid-19 pandemin i Sverige}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}