Track 1: The social investment research group
Track 1
The group is interdisciplinary to reflect the potential of contributions from various social sciences—sociology, political sciences, anthropology—in the development of a solid theorisation of the ethical and experiential aspects of the investment paradigm. The Nordic countries remain social investment frontrunners, making it particularly relevant to recruit participants working in these countries to ensure a solid empirical basis for theory building.
The social investment research group had online meetings as well as writing retreats, and the work aimed to produce an edited book or a special issue of a scientific journal.
Members of the research group are
- Anders Sevelsted, Copenhagen Business School
- Cecilie Bjerre, University of Southern Denmark
- Ida Schrøder, Aarhus University
- Kelly McKowen, Southern Methodist University and University of Oslo
- Kettil Nordesjö, Malmö university
- Magnus Paulsen Hansen, Roskilde University
- Mathias Herup Nielsen, Aalborg University
- Matilda Hellman, Uppsala University and University of Helsinki
- Mats Fred, Lund University
- Olli Tiikainen, University of Helsinki
- Sabina Pultz, Roskilde University
- Troels Krarup, Aalborg University
Publications
The activities of the Social Investment Research Group have culminated in a special issue of Acta Sociologica entitled Social Investment in Action, edited by Ditte Andersen and Magnus Paulsen Hansen. The special issue represents a significant outcome of the group’s collaborative efforts and extends its scholarly reach through contributions selected via an open call.
Together, the contributions examine how social investment rationality is translated, contested, and experienced across diverse policy domains and institutional settings. The collection advances understanding of the historical origins, normative foundations, governance practices, and lived consequences of social investment policies. It comprises an introductory article, nine original research articles, two commentaries, and an interview with Elizabeth Popp Berman, offering a multidisciplinary perspective on the political, ethical, and practical implications of the social investment paradigm.
The special issue includes the following contributions:
Andersen, D., & Hansen, M. P. (2025). Social investment in action: From policy vision to everyday realities. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 437-441.
Sevelsted, A., & Krarup, T. (2025). What’s so new about social investment? Evidence from the history of the Danish welfare state. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 442-457.
Bjerre, C. (2025). From worker investment to family investment: Shifting logics of child welfare in Denmark, 1920s–1970s. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 458-475.
Bagadirov, A., Hemerijck, A., & Puertas Roig, P. (2025). Stepping-stone solidarity: The normative foundation of the social investment welfare state. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 476-492.
Fred, M. (2025). Translating reform—the rise and fall of social investment practices in Swedish local government. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 493-510.
Nordesjö, K. (2025). The persuasion of evaluation: The argumentation for social investment fund evaluation in Swedish local government. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 532-541.
Nielsen, M. H. (2025). What the street level can teach us about the social investment state – Insights from encounters between caseworkers and vulnerable unemployed clients in Denmark. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 542-553.
McKowen, K. (2025). Making up the market: Job-seeker courses and the ordinary ethics of social investment in Norway. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 554-562.
Pultz, S. (2025). Feeling like a bad investment: Exploring the lived experiences of being the object of social investment technologies in Danish public employment services. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 563-577.
Andersen, D. (2025). The economic style of reasoning is not value-neutral! An interview with Elizabeth Popp Berman. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 578-582.
Nelson, M. (2025). The need for further conceptualization of education policy in the social investment approach. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 583-585.
Garritzmann, J., Häusermann, S., & Palier, B. (2025). Social investment—A (mis)leading paradigm? Why we need to distinguish different types of social investments. Acta Sociologica, 68(4), 586-589.
