In this thesis we examined the validity of Okun’s law across four Nordic countries (Sweden,Norway, Finland and Denmark) using the gap version of Okun's law. Our method foranalyzing the Okun’s law for Nordic countries in this study is time series. We performed anAugmented-Dickey fuller test in order to test for stationarity, to which the result yielded allvariables stationary. Our result, after running the regression of the gap version of Okun’s law,confirms the existence of a negative relationship between unemployment rate and economicgrowth. However, the outcome indicates different Okun coefficients for the four Nordiccountries within the time period of 1989-2018. In conclusion we can affirm that according toour result, the basic assumptions made by Okun regarding a negative correlation betweenunemployment rate and output still holds true today for Nordic countries, with the exceptionthat the percentage decrease in unemployment rate when output increases by one percentvaries across Nordic countries. / I denna uppsats undersökte vi validiteten av Okuns lag för fyra nordiska länder (Sverige, Norge, Finland och Danmark) hjälp av Okuns lag gap modellen. Vår metod för att analyseraOkuns lag för de nordiska länderna i denna studie är tidsserier. Vi testade stationariteten ivåra resultat från tidsserie regressionen via ett Augmented-Dickey fuller test, vilketindikerade att alla variabler var stationära. Vårt resultat, efter att ha utfört regressionen av gapversionen av Okuns lag, bekräftar förekomsten av ett negativt samband mellan arbetslöshetoch ekonomisk tillväxt. Utfallet indikerar dock olika Okun-koefficienter för de fyra nordiskaländerna inom tidsperioden 1989-2018. Sammanfattningsvis kan vi konstatera att enligt vårtresultat gäller de fundamentala antagandena för Okuns lag fortfarande idag för de nordiskaländerna, med undantaget att den procentuella minskningen av arbetslösheten närproduktionen ökar med en procent varierar mellan de nordiska länderna.

Abstract Background. It is relatively well established in previous research that unemployment has direct health consequences in terms of mental and physical ill health. Recently, knowledge has emerged indicating that unemployment can lead to economic consequences that remain long after re-establishment in the labour market. However, few empirical studies have been able to apply a life course perspective asking whether there are also long-term health consequences of unemployment, and, when and in which context unemployment may affect the individual health status across the life course. The aim of this thesis was to analyse the relationship between unemployment and illness across the life course, and how it relates to individual and structural factors in the geographical setting of northern Sweden. In particular, three main areas have been explored: youth unemployment and illness in adulthood (Paper I and Paper II), contextual unemployment of national unemployment rate and neighbourhood unemployment (Paper II and Paper III) and lastly, social determinants of health inequality between employment statuses (Paper IV). Methods. This thesis is positioned in Sweden between the early 1980s and the mid-2010s, following two comparable cohorts sampled from northern Sweden (26 and 19 years follow-up time respectively from youth to midlife) and a cross-sectional sample from 2014 of the four northernmost counties in Sweden. The two longitudinal cohorts comprised the Northern Swedish Cohort and the Younger Northern Swedish Cohort, consisting of all pupils in the 9th grade of compulsory school in Luleå municipality in 1981 and 1989. The participants responded to an extensive questionnaire on socioeconomic factors, work and health, in 5 and 2 waves respectively of data collections. Neighbourhood register data from Statistics Sweden was also collected for all participants in the Northern Sweden Cohort. At the latest data collection, 94.3% (n=1010) participated in the Northern Sweden Cohort and 85.6% (n=686) in the Younger Northern Sweden Cohort. The cross-sectional study Health on Equal Terms is a national study, administered by the Public Health Agency together with Statistics Sweden and county councils with the aim of mapping public health and living conditions in the country over time. In this thesis, material from 2014 has been used for northern Sweden with a response rate of around 50% (effective sample n=12769). The statistical analyses used were linear regression, multilevel analysis and difference-in-difference analysis to estimate the concurrent and long-term health consequences of unemployment, and a decomposition analysis to disentangle the inequality in health between different labour market positions. The health outcomes in focus were functional somatic symptoms (the occurrence of relatively common physical illnesses such as head, muscle and stomach ache, insomnia and palpitation) and psychological distress. Results. Among men only, as little as one month of youth unemployment was related to increased levels of functional somatic symptoms in midlife, regardless of previous ill health or unemployment later in life, although only during relatively low national unemployment (pre-recession) when comparing with youth unemployment during high national unemployment (recession). This was explained by the health promoting effect of more time spent in higher education during the recession period. Furthermore, the health impact of neighbourhood unemployment highlights the importance of the contextual setting for individuals’ health both across the life course and at specific periods of life. Lastly, employment-related mental health inequalities exist for both men and women in all life phases (youth, adulthood and midlife). Economic and social deprivation related to unemployment and illness varied across different phases in life and across genders. Conclusion. The key findings of this thesis paint a rather pessimistic vision of the future: one’s own and others’ unemployment may cause not only ill health today but also ill health later in life. Importantly, the responsibility of unemployment and the associated ill health should not be placed on the already marginalised individuals and communities. Instead, the responsibility should be directed towards the structural aspects of society and the political choices that shape these. In other words, health inequality manifested by the position in the labour market is socially produced, unfair and changeable through political decisions. The results of this study therefore cannot contribute to any simple or concrete solutions to the concurrent or long-term health consequences of individual or contextual unemployment, as the solution is beyond the areas of responsibility and abilities of research. However, if there are long-term health consequences of one’s own and other people’s unemployment, labour market and public health policies should be initiated from a young age and continue throughout the life course to reduce individual suffering and future costs of social insurance, sick-leave and unemployment benefits.

The purpose of this essay is to study the political horse-trading in 1933 have laid the foundation for political bloc solutions and have become a common occurrence in Swedish politics. Both the political horse-trading in 1933 and the bloc agreement in 1992 where solutions to help the nation out of severe economic crises, reduce unemployment and avoid extra election.  The high unemployment in the 1990s affected a generation who now had something in common with their grandparents who lived through the 1930s.  This essay describes the selected newspapers reporting on both the political horse-trading in 1933 and the bloc agreement in 1992 in Kalmar. This essay also describes the selected parties view of the two agreements in Kalmar.

Denna uppsats har undersökt kommunal arbetslöshet i 22 kommuner, vilka är geografiskt anslutande till Sveriges tre storstadsområden – Stockholm, Göteborg och Malmö. Uppsatsen har ämnat undersöka huruvida det föreligger signifikanta orsakssamband som påverkar kommunal arbetslöshet. Uppsatsen har även avsett undersöka om det finns tydliga skillnader i faktorer som påverkar arbetslöshetsnivån i de undersökta regionerna, samt förorts- och storstadskommuner emellan. För att besvara syftet har det i studien genomförts en regressionsanalys med paneldata för de undersökta kommunerna mellan åren 1996-2014. Förklaringsvariablerna, vilka ämnar förklara kommunal arbetslöshetsnivå, har varit kommunal inkomstskattenivå, medelårsinkomst, andel med minst tre års eftergymnasial utbildning, befolkningstäthet och andel utrikesfödda. Resultaten påvisar positiva samband för variablerna kommunal inkomstskattenivå, medelårsinkomst, befolkningstäthet och utrikesfödda, vilket innebär att när dessa faktorer förändras påverkas även kommunal arbetslöshetsnivå i motsvarande riktning. Den enskilda förklaringsvariabel som har ett negativt samband med arbetslöshet är andel med eftergymnasial utbildning, vilket innebär att när denna faktor förändras påverkas kommunal arbetslöshet i motsatt riktning. Resultaten visar skillnader i kommunal inkomstskattenivås påverkan på arbetslöshet storstads- och förortskommuner emellan, då storstadskommuner visar ett starkare sådant samband. Inga övriga skillnader i variablernas påverkan på arbetslöshet kan tydligt urskiljas ur resultaten. Den tydligaste skillnaden regionerna emellan är sambandet mellan utrikesfödda och arbetslöshet, vilket är positivt för Stockholmsregionen, men negativt för Malmö- och Göteborgsregionerna. Resultaten påvisar också skillnader i hur starkt variablerna kommunal inkomstskattenivå och andel med eftergymnasial utbildning påverkar arbetslösheten. Sambandet mellan kommunal inkomstskattenivå och arbetslöshet är starkast i Göteborgsområdet, i förhållande till övriga undersökta områden, och variabeln eftergymnasial utbildning har starkast påverkan på arbetslöshetsnivån i Malmöområdet, i relation till övriga två områden. / This thesis has examined the unemployment rate in 22 municipalities that are geographically connected to the metropolitan areas of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. The aim has been to examine whether there are distinct differences in factors that effect the municipal unemployment rate. The thesis has also aimed to investigate distinct differences in municipal unemployment rate in suburban and metropolitan municipalities. A regression analysis of panel data between the years 1996-2014 has been estimated and the explanatory variables are level of municipal income tax, average annual income, proportion of individuals with a higher educational level of three years or more, population density and proportion of foreign born.   The results indicate positive relationships between the variables municipal income tax, average annual income, population density and foreign born, which means that whenever these factors alter – the municipal unemployment rate does so as well. The sole explanatory variable with a negative relationship to municipal unemployment rate is education, which means that if the level of education changes, the unemployment rate alters in the opposit direction. The results also indicate differences in how strongly the municipal income tax effect the unemployment rate in suburban and metropolitan municipalities, since metropolitan municipalities indicate a stronger relationship between this variable and the unemployment rate. Moreover, there are no clear differences in the variables’ effect on the municipal unemployment rate. The most distinct disparity between the three regions is the relationship between the proportion of foreign born and municipal unemployment rate, which solely is positive for the region of Stockholm and negative for the regions of Malmö and Gothenburg. The results also indicate differences in how strongly the variables of municipal income tax and level of education affect the unemployment rate. The relationship between municipal income tax and unemployment rate is most powerful in the region of Gothenburg, in comparison to the other two regions, and the variable of level of education effect the region of Malmö the most.

The aim of the thesis is to highlight and to problematize conceptions of unemployment in Swedish society. The questions guiding my work have been: Which conceptions of unemployment emerge in society? How are these dealt with by the unemployed? Work on the thesis has been guided by a social constructionist approach. The empirical findings are constituted by four publications which, in various ways, are linked to overarching aim of the thesis. These publications consist of an analysis of the legal regulation surrounding the unemployed, a study of the activities of civil society organisations working with unemployed and two publications based on interviews with long-term unemployed young adults. The thesis provides increased knowledge of conceptions of unemployment in Swedish society. It shows that there is a widespread societal discourse concerning the individual being responsible for her/his unemployment, and that this conception has historically been well-grounded in Swedish labour market and social policy, as well as in people’s understandings. Among representatives of civil society organisations and unemployed individuals, there is also both a questioning of and a resistance to this understanding, indicating a possible change in the discourse. The thesis further shows that the individualisation of responsibility greatly affects individuals’ approaches in social contexts, as well as in their contacts with government agencies, but also when it comes to relationships with politics and political involvement. These insights are significant, for example during both policy formulation and efforts for the unemployed, bearing in mind that consideration needs to be paid to individual prerequisites in order for the individual’s strengths and abilities to be utilized. This is particulary important when it comes to those in an exposed position. / ”Men alltså grejen är ju att i dagens samhälle, i min ålder... Det är så många som är arbetslösa så det är så godkänt nu liksom. Folk tänker bara ’jaha är du också arbetslös’... Liksom antingen är dom arbetslösa själva, eller så har dom i alla fall en kompis eller tre som också är arbetslösa.” Den bild som framkommer i intervjun med Fredrik skiljer sig betydligt från den bild som ofta återspeglas i medier och politiska debatter, där individens egna ansvar och skyldigheter för att befinna sig i arbetslöshet betonas i allt högre grad. Dessa skilda utgångspunkter kan få olika följder ifråga om exempelvis förväntningar på arbetslösa, arbetslösa människors självbild eller arbetslöshetspolitik. Denna avhandling ger en ökad kunskap om vilka föreställningar om arbetslöshet som finns i det svenska samhället idag. Genom analyser av rättslig reglering, civilsamhälleliga organisationers verksamheter samt intervjuer med arbetslösa människor söker denna avhandling att synliggöra och problematisera förståelser av arbetslöshet samt hur dessa förståelser hanteras av arbetslösa.

Sammanfattning Författare: Julia Castlin och Robin Andersson Titel: Arbetslöshet, vad gör det med oss? Handledare: Jan Karlsson Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur arbetssökande upplever att arbetslösheten påverkar deras hälsa. Studien hade även för avsikt att undersöka vilka utmaningar arbetssökande upplever och hur dessa hanteras i vardagen. Vidare studerades hur arbetssökande kan lära sig om sin hälsa under arbetslösheten utifrån egna samt andras erfarenheter. Metod: Denna studie grundas på sex stycken semi-strukturerade intervjuer med arbetssökande som varade i 30-40 minuter. De arbetssökande som deltog i studien hade varit utan arbete i minst två månader och var inskrivna eller på väg att skriva in sig på Arbetsförmedlingen. Teori: Teorierna som behandlar såväl hälso- som pedagogiska teorier är: känsla avsammanhang (KASAM), erfarenhetsbaserat lärande och praktikgemenskaper. Samtliga tre teorier har utgjort kärnan i en analysmatris som i studien legat till grund för att finna samband mellan empirin och teorierna, vilket var en hjälp för att besvara studiens syfte. Resultat: Resultaten som framkom i denna studie pekade på att arbetssökandes hälsa påverkas av tilltron till den egna förmågan att uppnå sina individuella mål. Krav och förväntningar från omgivningen verkar också påverka individernas hälsa. Resurser i form av ekonomisk trygghet och socialt stöd tycks kunna bidra till ett bättre subjektivt välmående. Den största utmaningen upplevdes av många arbetssökande vara att få en anställning. Orsakerna till den upplevda svårigheten var dock varierande och individuella hinder såsom brist på resurser, brist på erfarenhet/utbildning och konkurrens på arbetsmarknaden pekades ut. I intervjuerna framkom även att flera av intervjupersonerna hade utvecklat nya “idéer/teorier” som kan underlätta en hantering av liknande situationer i framtiden. Dessa nya idéer kan ha uppkommit både genom egna erfarenheter eller genom utbyte med andra. Slutsats: Hälsan under arbetslösheten tycks vara beroende av individens förmåga att hantera situationen som i enlighet med teorierna om erfarenhetsbaserat lärande och SE, beror på individens tidigare upplevelser och tilltro till sin egen förmåga. Sannolikheten för att få en anställning verkar således öka om individen innehar ett högt KASAM. / Abstract Author: Julia Castlin and Robin Andersson Title: The impact of unemployment - About job seekers perceptions and experiences of unemployment and health Supervisor: Jan Karlsson The aim of this study was to examine how unemployed experience their everyday life and how their health is affected by being unemployed. Another purpose of this study was toexamine which challenges the unemployed are experiencing and how they are handled. Furthermore, this study aspired to see how unemployed can learn about its health during unemployment by experiences from themselves and others. Method: This study included six semi-structured interviews with unemployed, which lasted for 30-40 minutes each. The unemployed, participating in this study had been without work for at least two months and were registered on, or in the process of registration with Arbetsförmedlingen (Employment Service, the largest agency providing jobs in Sweden). Theory: The theories that are addressing both health and pedagogy are: sense of coherence (SOC), experiential learning and communities of practice. All of these three theories have formed the core of an analyzing table, which facilitates findings of correlation between empirical data and theory, in order to enable answers regarding the purpose of this study. Results: The results that emerged from this study indicated that the health of unemployed is affected by the self-efficacy of achieving their individual goals. Expectations from the social environment also seem to be a factor to the health of the unemployed. Resources in terms of financial security and social support also showed indications of contributing to a better subjective well-being. The majority of the unemployed in this study perceived that receiving employment was the greatest challenge. However, the causes of the perceived difficulties were varying and the obstacles were individual, such as lack of resources, lack of experience/education and competition on the labor market. The interviews also revealed that several of the participants had developed new “ideas/theories” that can facilitate the management of similar situations in the future. These new ideas may have emerged either through own experience or through exchange with other people. Conclusion: The health status during unemployment seems to be dependent of the individual’s manageability of the situation, as in accordance with the theories of experiential learning and self-efficacy, depends on the individual’s previous experience and self-efficacy.Thus the likelihood of receiving employment seems to increase if the individual has a strong SOC.

The aim of the thesis is to highlight and to problematize conceptions of unemployment in Swedish society. The questions guiding my work have been: Which conceptions of unemployment emerge in society? How are these dealt with by the unemployed? Work on the thesis has been guided by a social constructionist approach. The empirical findings are constituted by four publications which, in various ways, are linked to overarching aim of the thesis. These publications consist of an analysis of the legal regulation surrounding the unemployed, a study of the activities of civil society organisations working with unemployed and two publications based on interviews with long-term unemployed young adults. The thesis provides increased knowledge of conceptions of unemployment in Swedish society. It shows that there is a widespread societal discourse concerning the individual being responsible for her/his unemployment, and that this conception has historically been well-grounded in Swedish labour market and social policy, as well as in people’s understandings. Among representatives of civil society organisations and unemployed individuals, there is also both a questioning of and a resistance to this understanding, indicating a possible change in the discourse. The thesis further shows that the individualisation of responsibility greatly affects individuals’ approaches in social contexts, as well as in their contacts with government agencies, but also when it comes to relationships with politics and political involvement. These insights are significant, for example during both policy formulation and efforts for the unemployed, bearing in mind that consideration needs to be paid to individual prerequisites in order for the individual’s strengths and abilities to be utilized. This is particulary important when it comes to those in an exposed position. / ”Men alltså grejen är ju att i dagens samhälle, i min ålder... Det är så många som är arbetslösa så det är så godkänt nu liksom. Folk tänker bara ’jaha är du också arbetslös’... Liksom antingen är dom arbetslösa själva, eller så har dom i alla fall en kompis eller tre som också är arbetslösa.” Den bild som framkommer i intervjun med Fredrik skiljer sig betydligt från den bild som ofta återspeglas i medier och politiska debatter, där individens egna ansvar och skyldigheter för att befinna sig i arbetslöshet betonas i allt högre grad. Dessa skilda utgångspunkter kan få olika följder ifråga om exempelvis förväntningar på arbetslösa, arbetslösa människors självbild eller arbetslöshetspolitik. Denna avhandling ger en ökad kunskap om vilka föreställningar om arbetslöshet som finns i det svenska samhället idag. Genom analyser av rättslig reglering, civilsamhälleliga organisationers verksamheter samt intervjuer med arbetslösa människor söker denna avhandling att synliggöra och problematisera förståelser av arbetslöshet samt hur dessa förståelser hanteras av arbetslösa.

<p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva, tolka och analysera framgångsrikt agerande vid påtvingade brytpunkter i karriärutvecklingen. Fem personer har fyllt i ett formulär samt intervjuats angående deras känslor, erfarenheter, motivation och nätverk relaterat till jobbsökandet. Resultatet visade att en mängd olika tillvägagångssätt använts, t.ex. att berätta för bekanta att de söker jobb, kontakta potentiella arbetsgivare samt risktagande. En del av handlandet utfördes med syftet att skaffa jobb, andra handlingar utfördes av andra anledningar, men hade ändå betydelse för framgången i att skaffa jobb. Erfarenheter och nätverk visade sig spela en stor roll och fyra sorters motivation identifierades. Grundantagandet (<em>att personer som blivit arbetslösa och snabbt skaffat ny sysselsättning (1) har hög 'Self-efficacy' och (2) i stor utsträckning handlar i enlighet med 'Planned happenstance', och slutligen, (3) att dessa personer har en 'Intrinsic' motivation</em>) kunde varken verifieras eller falsifieras till fullo och därmed diskuteras en del förslag till fortsatt forskning inom aktuellt problemområde. </p> / <p>The aim of this study is to describe, interpret and analyse successful strategies used to obtain a job, when unemployed. Five persons have answered a short questionnaire and have been interviewed about their feelings, experiences, motivation and social network, all related to actions taken whilst searching for a job. The result was that a variety of actions were taken that brought them to finding a job, such as telling friends and other contacts that they are available for work, contacting potential employers and taking risks. Some actions were taken with the objective to find a job, and some were not. Experiences and the social network were found to play a big part and four different types of motivation were detected concerning finding a job. The hypothesis (<em>that those who become unemployed and are successful in finding a new job (1) have a high Self-efficacy, (2) to a great extent take actions in accordance with Planned Happenstance Theory and lastly, (3) that they are mainly driven by an Intrinsic motivation</em>) could not be fully verified on any account nor could it be completely falsified.</p>

<p>The study sheds light on how individuals from different countries experience the labour action Komjobb. The study aim to examine in which consideration experiences of the action Komjobb differs among the participants. The study is based on eight qualitative interviews and analyzed by using the method of phenomenography. We have based this research on a theory about Social constructivism. Other theories that we have used are Bauman's theory about the changing value of work in the modern and postmodern society and Andersson's theory of unemployment as a social category. The result is also based on previous research about labour market policies. We have concluded that Komjobb to a particular part meets individual needs. Other conclusions are that there are some differences in whether people from different countries perceive the action as satisfactory. The participants feel that Komjobb strengthens their position at the labour market and in a positive way affect their other routines in everyday life.</p>

<p>Arbetslivet och frånvaron av arbete är en stor del av en individs identitetsskapande. Samtidigt pågår stora förändringar på arbetsmarknaden och individen måste vara anpassningsbar, till att vara i en ny situation och omdefiniera sin egen identitet. Den första delen i antologin handlar om hur den flexibla arbetsmarknaden har för inverkan på en individs identitet och livsvillkor. Studien visar att informanterna lever i olika stor grad i denna verklighet ch har en inverkan på dess identitetsskapande. Nästa bidrag belyser hur det sociala samspelet ser ut mellan olika etniska grupper på arbetsmarknaden. Tredje delen handlar om arbetslöshetens konsekvenser för identiteten och dess upplevelser av arbetslöshet. Studien visar på att upplevelserna är varierande och kan både vara positiva och negativa.</p><p>I bidraget kring utmattning framkommer vikten av att se till samhället och inte enbart den medicinska vetenskapen. Studien visar på att tillit, normer och värderingar har betydelse kring en individs identitet och livsvillkor.</p><p>Den sista delen behandlar vad utbildning och arbete har för betydelse för unga mänsidentitetsskapande och vad som kan påverka dem i deras val.</p>