Research project Opportunities and hindrances to conducting business in Sweden
This project aims to better understand how entrepreneurs themselves see their opportunities and obstacles to conducting business in Sweden.
The results can be used as a basis for policy-makers and interest organizations as well as for continued research on entrepreneurship in Sweden.
The project is financed by Forte and will last for 3 years. The project is based on various data collections. In a first stage, an interview study is carried out, after which various questionnaire studies follow.
The interview study aims to give us a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurs experience their working conditions, what it is like to be an entrepreneur, how they view contact with authorities, financiers, customers and employees (if any), and what consequences it has for them.
The survey study aims to give us an understanding of the connections between how entrepreneurs experience their working conditions and entrepreneurs' job satisfaction, health, opportunities for business development and the like. The survey study at time 1 is carried out by Statistics Sweden. In order not to ask more than necessary, Statistics Sweden supplements answers with information from existing registers. A shorter follow-up survey is sent approximately half a year later.
In a third step, another type of survey study is also carried out: a weekly diary study. This means that entrepreneurs answer a very short survey once a week for several weeks. It complements the large survey study and shows in more detail how entrepreneurs experience challenges and obstacles in their work situation week by week.
As data are collected, we will conduct data analysis and report on the project's results.
Published journal articles
- Eib, C., & Bernhard-Oettel, C. (2025). Does Fairness Matter? How Perceived Stakeholder Treatment Shapes Solo Entrepreneurs’ Well-Being and Performance. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research AJG 3. DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-03-2025-0392
- Eib, C., & Weidenstedt, L. (2025). Tech-entrepreneurs' psychological contracts with their institutional environment: Insights from Sweden. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 46(3). DOI: 10.1177/0143831X251339070
Book chapters
- Gevaert, J., Almroth, M., Eib, C., & van der Zwan, P. (2026). From Margins to Mainstream? OHS Challenges in the solo self-employed workforce. In Springer Handbook Series on Occupational Health Sciences – Volume 5: Occupational Health and Job Quality at the Margins of the Labour Market. Editors: Christophe Vanroelen, Lisa Seubert, Theo Bodin. Springer.
- Eib, C., & Cropanzano, R. (2023). Organizational Justice and Mental Health. In A. Day & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Mental Health at Work (pp. 31). Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003255574
Conference contributions
- Eib, C., Weidenstedt, L., & Bernhard-Oettel, C. (2026). Entrepreneurs and Stakeholder Dependencies: A Study on Power and Justice in Sweden, 12th Nordic Working Life Conference 11-13 May 2026, Reykjavík, Iceland.
- Bernhard-Oettel, C., Fors Connolly, F., & Eib, C. (2026). Sickness absenteeism and presenteeism among business owners in Sweden: testing the role of business and personal resources in a longitudinal model. 12th Nordic Working Life Conference 11-13 May 2026, Reykjavík, Iceland.
- Eib, C., Weidenstedt, L., & Bernhard-Oettel, C. (2026). Entrepreneurs and Stakeholder Dependencies: A Study on Power and Justice in Sweden, 9th International Workshop on Insights in Organizational Justice and Behavioural Ethics (IWOJBE), June 2026, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Eib, C., Weidenstedt, L., & Bernhard-Oettel, C. (2025). Entrepreneurs and Stakeholder Dependencies: A Study on Power and Justice in Sweden, Presentation in Symposium Power and Justice Dynamics in Organizations and Beyond’ with Karen Hegtvedt as discussant, Organizer: Constanze Eib. 2025 Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Bernhard-Oettel, C., & Eib, C. (2025). Job insecurity and health in solo self-employed and gig workers in Sweden: What role do risk taking and perceived employability play in both groups? Presentation in Symposium ’Navigating Economic Stress: Rethinking Job Insecurity in the Changing World of Work’, Organizer: Wiebke Doden, Katja Wehrle, Annabelle Hofer. 2025 Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Eib, C., & Bernhard-Oettel, C. (2024). Stakeholder fairness as new predictor of entrepreneurs’ behaviors and health. 2024 Health in Entrepreneurship Forum, Montpellier, France.
- Eib, C., & Bernhard-Oettel, C. (2024). Who treats entrepreneurs fairly at work and does it matter? Stakeholder fairness perceptions of solo self-employed. 2024 International Workshop on Organizational Justice and Behavioral Ethics, Bordeaux, France.
- Eib, C., Bernhard-Oettel, C., & Muller, F. (2023). Not so alone after all? From where do entrepreneurs get fair treatment at work – and does it matter for their well-being? Presentation in Symposium “The Challenges We Face: What Can Work and Organizational Psychologists Learn from Entrepreneurs and How can Psychology Help Entrepreneurs”, Organizer: Constanze Eib, 2023 European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology, Katowice, Poland.
Master thesis (in Swedish)
Beata Ljungberger. (2023). Att navigera hinder med entreprenörsanda. En psykologisk studie om svenska tech-entreprenörers upplevelse av hinder och drivkraft. Examensarbete Psykologprogram. Supervisor: Claudia Bernhard-Oettel, Stockholm University.
Entrepreneurs play a central role in innovation, employment, and economic development in Sweden. However, limited knowledge exists about how their relationships with actors like government agencies, banks, customers, and employees are shaped. examined how entrepreneurs perceive fairness in their interactions with different stakeholders and how these perceptions relate to their well-being, behaviors, and business activities.
The project is based on interview data and longitudinal survey studies with entrepreneurs in Sweden, in some cases combined with register data. So far, the project has resulted in two published scientific articles, two book chapters, two submitted manuscripts, two manuscripts in progress, eight conference presentations, and one Master’s thesis.
The results show that perceptions of fair treatment are highly important for entrepreneurs’ health, job satisfaction, and their business success. Perceptions of fairness in interactions with government agencies are linked to societally relevant behaviors like willingness to comply with regulations or to continue running a business. A central finding is that institutional actors, such as government agencies, banks, and other financial actors, play a particularly important role in shaping entrepreneurs’ fairness perceptions. Also, entrepreneurs perceived lower levels of fairness in relation to these actors than in relation to customers, co-owners or employees. We also show that entrepreneurs develop clear expectations regarding support, predictability, and fair treatment from the state and other institutions. When these expectations are perceived as being violated, it can lead to distrust, reduced well-being, and changes in strategies toward these actors.
The project created new knowledge about entrepreneurs’ work environment by highlighting the importance of fairness in the relationship between business owners and institutional actors. How government authorities, banks, and large organizations make and communicate decisions have consequences for entrepreneurs’ well-being, behaviors, and willingness to continue operating their businesses. This knowledge can be used to develop more transparent and fair processes in interactions between entrepreneurs and institutions. In the long-term, this may contribute to better working conditions for entrepreneurs, stronger trust between entrepreneurs and societal actors, greater regulatory compliance, and more sustainable conditions for entrepreneurship in society.