My current postdoc project concerns the democratic politics of sustainable transformations and in particular how energy transitions can be more inclusive. In this project I examine how households in Sweden are democratically represented in the policymaking regarding the digitalisation of the electric grid and smart grid development. I specifically focus on how households in different tenure forms can articulate different needs and interests and what this means for energy democracy as well as justice pertaining to both energy and housing. The postdoc project is part of the research programme 鈥淩esistance and power 鈥� on smart grids for the many people鈥� financed by the Kamprad Family Foundation.
I have a PhD in Technology and Social Change (Link枚ping University, 2025). My doctoral dissertation investigates the politics of new sustainable housing developments in Sweden. New sustainable housing developments respond both to a housing shortage and to a need to advance sustainable urban transformations, but they have also been criticised for not meeting the sustainability ambitions. Departing from this critique, the thesis investigates the role of different types of politics in the development of, and living in, sustainable housing. Specifically, the thesis examines conflicts of interest on three arenas: municipal politics, municipal planning and the home, and the effects of how conflicts of interest are managed in terms of politicisation and depoliticisation. The thesis demonstrates both politicisation and depoliticisation in the development of sustainable housing, for example, how municipal dependency on private developers and consensus about economic growth as a necessity leads to depoliticisation, impeding the transformative potential. Additionally, the thesis demonstrates how the limited opportunities for active and intentional participation from residents hampers the realisation of sustainability ambitions and obscures alternatives for sustainability shaped in everyday life. While the thesis empirically shows how depoliticisation results in a lack of affordable and transformative housing, it also highlights everyday life as a fertile ground for politicisation and the fostering of sustainable urban transformations.
