"By way of this collaboration, researchers at the University will examine how the municipality works to promote local democracy - a question that is most current in Sweden as well as the rest of Europe, when issues related to political legitimacy and the power of the individual to effect change are increasingly on the agenda," explained Jonas Stier, Head of Research, Intercultural Studies, at Dalarna University.
One key focus of the research is civil dialogue, the influence that youth can have and active citizenship. The University has previously worked together with the municipality in conjunction with, for example, Democracy Days and the so-called Demokratipasset.
"This new stage in our collaboration builds on ongoing collaboration. Democratic participation between elections and active citizenship are central issues that require further research," explained Thomas Sedelius, Associate Professor of Political Sciences at Dalarna University.
"The University is a natural meeting place and an obvious partner for dialogue when it comes to questions about democracy. We have political scientists, sociologists and humanists who teach students in the social sciences, while research in these subjects is conducted within our research profile Intercultural Studies. Furthermore, we recently established Interkulturellt utvecklingscentrum Dalarna (IKUD) (Intercultural Development Centre Dalarna) in coproduction with business and industry," explained Anna Parkhouse, Doctor of Political Sciences at Dalarna University.