Environmental scanning and analysis in Swedish central government agencies

Authors

  • Torbjörn Lundqvist Institute for Futures Studies, Stockholm

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v15i3.16165

Keywords:

Strategic foresight, Environmental scanning, Public administration, Government agencies, Omvärldsanalys, Omvärldsbevakning, Offentlig förvaltning, Statliga myndigheter

Abstract

Most government agencies have some form of environmental scanning, but few have dedicated departments or full-time staff responsible for analysis. The level of ambition varies greatly from one organisation to another, and in several cases activities are delegat- ed to personnel without sufficient experience in the field. Consultants have been important in helping to start the activities, and most agencies have hired them. We note that environment scanning/analysis is more formally organised when authorities’ core operations include societal risks and threats, or have analytical purposes. When core activities relate to national issues or a limited sector, environment scanning tends to be more informal. But it also seems to be an activity that is constantly changing. The difficulties in institutionalising these functions, along with a lack of willingness to do so, have proved to be significant.

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Author Biography

Torbjörn Lundqvist, Institute for Futures Studies, Stockholm

Torbjörn Lundqvist is Associate Professor of Economic History at Uppsala University and a researcher at the Institute for Futures Studies, Stockholm. He defended his dissertation on cartel formation and then researched employer policy and competition policy, but in recent years he has become interested in areas such as sustainable development, business intelligence, telework and future IT. Publications directly related to public administration include Lundqvist, T. (2010) Omvärldsanalyse - till vilken nytta?, Research Report 2010/2, Institute for Futures Studies, and Gossas, M. and Lundqvist, T. (2010) Ubikvitär framtid? IT perspectives on state and society, Research Report 2010/1, Institute for Futures Studies.

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Published

2011-09-15

How to Cite

Lundqvist, T. (2011). Environmental scanning and analysis in Swedish central government agencies. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 15(3), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v15i3.16165

Issue

Section

Original Articles

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