New study examines Swedish elite opinion about international organizations
In a newly published article the SCGG-affiliated researchers Lisa Dellmuth and Nicholas Olczak, Stockholm University, examine how Swedish elites perceive the role of international organizations (IOs) in global problem-solving, particularly in Arctic governance.
Nuuk, Greenland's capital, serves as a focal point in Arctic governance, underscoring the Arctic Council's role in addressing shared regional challenges, as explored in recent research on elite attitudes toward international organizations. Photo: Liubov Sharova/Mostphotos
"Studying Swedish elites, we find that elites' national security concerns tend to reduce their support for problem-solving through non-security international organizations IOs," said professor Lisa Dellmuth, a co-director at Stockholm Center on Global Governance, SCGG.
The study, published in Global Studies Quarterly, draws on a unique dataset of surveys and interviews with Swedish elites. It finds only limited evidence that national security concerns—such as the fear of military conflict involving Sweden—reduce confidence in IOs overall.
However, broader security concerns, such as Arctic militarization, appear to increase elite support for IO problem-solving, particularly through organizations with a security mandate, like NATO and the UN.
"Our correlational and regression analyses also delve into the complexity of the relationship between security concerns and IO attitudes," she said.
This study is the first to theorize and empirically test the link between elite concerns and their attitudes toward IO problem-solving, contributing to a deeper understanding of global governance at a time of increasing geopolitical tensions.
More information
The article was published in Global Studies Quarterly (Volume 5, Issue 1, January 2025) on March 18, 2025.
Their publication is a deliverable of MISTRA GEOPOLITICS, which is funded by MISTRA—the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research.
