• Publicationsclose
• Research dataclose
• Research softwareclose
• Other research productsclose
• 2014-2023close
• SE close
• English close
• Publikationer från Stockholms universitet close
• COVID-19 close

Since the last century, many wars and violations of Human Rights were direct reasons that set the pace to develop Human Rights laws, especially after the end of World War II and the holocausts associated with it. One of the critical Human Rights is that ‘to life’, relating to the right ‘to health’, hence the fundamental accessibility to healthcare services and products. Nonetheless, the last decades have witnessed a significant growth in pharmaceutical patents leading to increased drug prices. Overshoots in prices prohibit access to medicine. Disputes between States, pharmaceutical corporations, patients, and investors have occurred, some of which were not purely related to monetary aspects but also to Human Rights, such as the right to ‘access to medicine’. These disputes are controversial. The applicable legal regimes are patent laws (e.g., the TRIPS Agreement) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) including the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), European Social Charter, and more. However, it is up to the courts to decide on whether to consider IHRL in the legal decision process. The question turns to whether they consider the two regimes to be intersecting or independent. This thesis tackles the area of intersection between patent law and the right to ‘access to medicine’ in cases of pandemics such as inter alia HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. It investigates whether the right to ‘access to medicine’ exists as a human right by law, to jump to examine whether solutions like Compulsory Licenses (CLs) and patent exceptions are suitable. Then it answers the question whether there should be defragmentation of laws or not. The work analyzes available caselaw to seek a balance between patent laws and the human right to ‘access to medicine’ during pandemics. Caselaw shows that the conflict makes the overlap of laws confusing and in need of determining the set of relevant provisions in the applicable norms. The question on defragmentation in answered by focusing on Section 5 of the TRIPS Agreement and some provisions in IHRL instruments. The thesis proposes a defragmentation of applicable laws that aids in looking at previous solutions to reach the sought balance, and it sheds the light to give recommendations. The work finally recommends being proactive, for times of pandemics like the COVID-19 outbreak, and working on the realization of a unified and harmonized EU patent law to keep up to the objective of delivering quality vaccines/antivirals, on time, within budget, and with supporting applicable laws. 

This comparative study explores parental involvement during the process of mainstreaming Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Using an ethnographic approach with emphasis on a subtle realist ontology it compares two ECE centers operationalisations of parental involvement and staff's experiences of this aspect of their work. Findings showed that the centers had to navigate cultural underpinnings of parental mistrust and knowledge deficiency in their operationalisation of parental involvement. The centers navigated the cultural conditions by allowing parents CCTV access, or by providing parental education and workshops via scaffolding techniques of experts to gain an audience amongst parents. The center's proactive or reactive approach during the initial stages of parental involvement resulted in various implications for the continuous collaboration between staff and parents at the center. The study contextualises parental involvement within the broader Bangladeshi society, suggesting that the ECE centers becomes an external societal actor interfering in home life, creating a collision between cultural understandings of the home (poribar/bari) and the ECE center, which presented hindrances to parental involvement. The study additionally discusses implications of the Covid-19 epidemic and suggestions for the future of ECE mainstreaming in Bangladesh.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically demonstrated the importance of epidemic models in understanding and predicting disease spread and in assessing the effectiveness of interventions. The overarching topic of this thesis is stochastic epidemic modelling, with the main focus on the role of the underlying social structure in infectious disease spread. In Paper I we study the spread of stochastic SIR-epidemics on an extended version of the configuration model with group structure. We present expressions for the basic reproduction number R0, the probability of a major outbreak and the expected final size, and investigate random vaccination with a perfect vaccine. We weaken the assumptions of earlier results for epidemics on this type of graph by allowing for heterogeneous infectivity both in individual infectivity and between different kinds of edges. An important special case of this model is the spread of a disease with arbitrary infectious period distribution in continuous time. Paper II concerns multi-type competition in a variant of Pólya's urn model with interaction, where balls of different colours/types annihilate upon contact. The model dynamics are governed by the structure of an underlying graph. In the special case of a cycle graph, this urn model is equivalent to a planar growth model with competing pathogens. It has earlier been shown that in the two-type case, indefinite coexistence has probability 0 for any (finite and connected) underlying graph, while for K ≥ 3 types the possibility of coexistence depends on the structure of this graph. We show that for K ≥ 3 types competing on a cycle graph, there is with probability 1 eventually only one remaining type. In Paper III we study the real-time growth rate of SIR epidemics on random intersection graphs with mixed Poisson degree distribution. We show that during the early stage of the epidemic, the number of infected individuals grows exponentially and the Malthusian parameter is shown to satisfy a version of the Euler-Lotka equation. These results are obtained via an approximating embedded single-type Crump-Mode-Jagers branching process. In addition, we provide a lower bound on the cumulative number of individuals that get infected before the branching process approximation breaks down. In Paper IV we consider stochastic SIR epidemics on inhomogeneous random graphs with degree-dependent contact rates. In this model, the per-neighbour contact rate of an individual decrease but its overall expected contact rate increases with its expected number of neighbours. We provide the basic reproduction number R0, the probability of a large outbreak and the final size of an epidemic. We show that reducing heterogeneity in contact rates results in a higher value of the basic reproduction number R0, and demonstrate that this result does not generally extend to the probability of a major outbreak and the final size.

Contribution Requirements and Redistribution Decisions: Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh uses a controlled experiment to assess the effects of requiring co-funding to development programs on the efficiency and distribution of benefits within the community. Market Access and Quality Upgrading: Evidence from Randomized Experiments tests if increasing reward to quality produce improves profits, agricultural productivity, and input use, using a randomized experiment in Uganda. How do community contribution requirements affect local public good provision? Experimental evidence from safe water sources in Bangladesh evaluates how community contribution requirement –in cash and labour– change take-up and impact of a development intervention through a randomized experiment of water source construction. Do community water sources provide safe drinking water? Evidence from a randomized experiment in rural Bangladesh exploits a random experiment to analyse how effectively the construction of community water sources improves drinking water quality. Predicted COVID-19 fatality rates based on age, sex, comorbidities, and health system capacity extrapolates adjustments to estimate COVID-19 fatality rates from high-income to lower-income regions. The Macroeconomics of Pandemics in Developing Countries: an Application to Uganda models how optimal pandemic containment varies from high- to lower-income countries.

The informal economy is an important source of income for many poor people living in South Africa. But with legacies from colonialism and apartheid still lingering in society and rising levels of xenophobia, people in the informal economy are marginalized and vulnerable. In South Africa, women represent the majority of informal workers in the country, and in 2020, an estimated 57.2% of all informal workers were women. Seeing the already vulnerable position of female informal workers, the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated their vulnerable position further. This thesis considers the experiences of female informal workers in South Africa during the Covid-19 crisis. Drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted through fieldwork in Pretoria, this research is looking into how female informal street traders navigated life through the pandemic. Supported by the theories of intersectionality and moral economy, this thesis investigates how the covid-19 crisis affected the livelihoods of female informal workers in South Africa, and what types of safety nets existed for them during the pandemic. The theories provide a nuanced and multi-level understanding of the challenges faced by women during this crisis. The findings reveal that the pandemic had a significant impact on the livelihoods of female street traders in South Africa and that an intersection of factors, including nationality, legal status, and family, contributed to the different experiences of these women. The results also show that in the absence of adequate social protection measures during the pandemic, the women had to rely on other sources of safety nets, such as the church and family, to survive. The experiences of foreign informal street traders differed from the South African nationals, seeing that they were in a more vulnerable position, lacking both legal and social protection. This research emphasizes the need for policymakers and academics to adopt a more intersectional approach to understanding the experiences of female informal workers in South Africa, to address the unique challenges faced by these women during times of crisis. 

Collective intentionality lies at the heart of solidarity and social action. Collective intentions refer to thinking in a “We-mode” oriented toward the social group, contrary to individual-oriented thinking in “I-mode”. Theories in philosophy and sociology have long recognized the importance of collective intentions for solidarity. Yet, less is known about how collective intentions affect solidarity on different levels of analysis. The dissertation aims to introduce collective intentions to sociological research and to close the research gap by studying the relationship between collective intentions and solidarity. In study I, we study collective intentions in small group dynamics via an online experiment. We find that collective intentions are strongly related to solidarity and emerge through social interactions in groups. Study II uses computational text analysis and qualitative in-depth reading to investigate how US governors draw on collective intentionality to mobilize people during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that political leaders evoke collective intentionality by emphasizing unity, vulnerability, action, and community boundaries. While Democratic governors emphasize a shared agency between government and citizens, Republican governors highlight more of a top-down approach to governmental action. Similarly, study III examines political leaders’ use of collective intentionality and the distribution of governmental and civic roles across nine countries during the coronavirus pandemic. While all political leaders highlight the importance of unity, solidarity, and social action in public speeches, I find that political leaders’ narrative on the distribution of governmental and civic roles does not align with existing patterns across party lines. Finally, study IV focuses on whether politicians’ use of collective intentionality in times of crisis influences peoples’ solidary intentions and behavior in an online experiment. We find no evidence that collective intentionality in political speeches affects solidarity, suggesting that collective intentionality cannot be built through speech acts only, without being based on shared we-experiences, community, and trust. Taken together, the studies in this dissertation contribute to research on collective intentionality and solidarity. Within social group interaction, collective intentionality fosters social cohesion and solidarity. In crises, collective intentionality provides insight into the group boundaries, responsibilities, and distribution of roles.

The advances in digital technologies and improved digital literacy have provided myriads of opportunities for societies. Particularly in the public sphere, improved digitalisation has meant better access to information for citizens, among others. Digital technologies, such as social media, have been proven invaluable in events such as a public health crisis such as COVID-19. However, the adoption of these technologies has also brought challenges related to misinformation, where publicly available information is manipulated and disseminated for purposes that are against the public interest. This paper presents an ongoing empirical study that attempts to explore the measures taken by the public sector to manage misinformation. The study, conducted in two developing countries, explores the immediate and long-term approaches to tackling misinformation. The implication of the expected results for research and practice are also presented.

This thesis set out to examine news habits among Swedish 15-20 year olds during the spring of 2020 but then the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Following the events and its possible implications on news consumption, the focus shifted towards also looking at how young people’s news habits might change during the pandemic. This study was primarily aimed at better understanding the relationship between young people and news by implementing theories relating to their motivations and how they connect to society. The method used to examine this was online surveys. Additionally, by building on research from the 2009 Swine flu pandemic the survey aimed at improving the understanding of news’ relevance in the context of the digitized media landscape and evolved use of social media. From the results it seems respondents had a bigger need for news and information during Covid-19. Results showed that young people have an interest in news and care about what goes on in society. Factors such as political interest and education level indicated higher news consumption but not as much in relation to the pandemic. Social media was important for the overall news consumption. Those discussing current events with friends and family were also more likely to consume news to a greater extent than those who did not. This study concludes that the decline in youth news consumption previously observed, might not be as severe and that the role of social media is a crucial element. It is also evident that the Covid-19 pandemic increased young people’s news consumption and they turn to the news for information and to better understand what goes on in the world around them.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, the Swedish government allocated specific financial support to cultural practitioners, however, excluding curators from this assistance. As a result, a group of engaged professionals formed the Swedish Curators’ Association, marking a recent effort in curatorial self-organization. This study aims to understand and illuminate the phenomenon of curatorial self-organization and how the experience of self-organizing is understood by curators in 2022. It investigates the past and current personal lived experiences of four curators through phenomenological methodological, and theoretical approaches. Next, the study explores how their perception correlates with the current curatorial lifeworld. At the core of this study is the hypothesis that in a consolidated lifeworld, curatorial self-organization becomes a model of a joint phenomenological body, functioning as a mechanism of sustainability, balance, and orientation due to the diversity of curatorial practices and experiences of its members. Archival materials and four interviews are at the core of the research. Study results showed that curatorial self-understanding and perception of self-organization are formed very individually; therefore, it would be inaccurate to generalize the phenomenon without having that in mind. Additionally, several internal and external factors played a significant role in the latest formation and perception of the phenomenon. The study also revealed that previous experiences of curatorial self-organizations have not been present in today’s active curatorial lifeworld, existing as familiar yet distant memories. Finally, the study goes beyond its initial hypothesis to find that the current attempt to self-organize curatorially in Sweden can be equated to a tool for curators to self-define, articulate the changing curatorial roles, and re-understand the essence of the profession.

This thesis examines the exercise of emergency powers in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The two cases of Germany and Spain applied disparate models of emergency powers while sharing common traits of federal decentralized power structures. While Spain initially centralized powers within the Spanish Government, Germany empowered the executives of the Länder and the Federal Ministry of Health. Within both countries the executive took extreme precedence, but factors such as the continuous legitimization of actions by means of the supranational WHO downplay the sovereign nature of the executive. The legislature was pacified throughout the first year of the pandemic, the frame of study, and acted to undermine its own authority. The judiciary while active suffered from its temporal role as retrospective when faced with an emergency requiring immediate action, and was further undermined by the vague legal basis of the emergency powers and the unknown nature of the threat that Covid-19 posed. These factors meant that the executive lacked scrutiny by the two other institutionally designed checks on power. Restrictions encroached so far on rights to autonomy that they were ruled unconstitutional in Spain, in Germany the third amendment to the IPA which aimed to specify the legal basis for restrictions, resulted in more stringent restrictions in the third phase of the pandemic.