Tomas Gustavsson

About Tomas Gustavsson

I study the political economy of the green transition, focusing on how growth models and fiscal regimes shape state capacity to govern industrial transformation across levels of government. In particular, my research examines how the fiscal trilemma between green investment, welfare provision, and fiscal discipline structures political decision-making and the governance of the transition.

Empirically, I focus on the electrification of the automotive industry in West Sweden. I analyse how growth coalitions are formed across public and private actors, how responsibilities, costs, and risks are distributed across levels of government, and how these dynamics condition the capacity of public actors to plan, finance, and coordinate the transition.

My thesis is part of the research project “Labour Market Challenges of the Green Transition in West Sweden: Electrification and the Transformation of the Automotive Cluster” . More information about the project can be found here.

My supervisors are Anna Davidsson (primary supervisor) and Ylva Wallinder (co-supervisor).

Teaching

I teach in courses within the European Studies Programme, the Human Resource Management Programme, the Work Science Programme, and in sociology. My teaching includes:

• Quantitative methods

• Qualitative methods

• Philosophy of science and research design

• Labour markets in a national and international perspective

• Supervision of bachelor’s theses