Swedish Government Commissions Database
The QoG Swedish Government Commissions Database provides a comprehensive overview of all Swedish government commissions, their members, and their reports from 1971 to 2022.
The commission database comprises three datasets: one focusing on the commissions themselves (Section 1), one on the commissions’ members (Section 2), and one on the commissions’ reports (Section 3). Each dataset has its own unit of analysis.
Please note the QoG Swedish Government Commissions Database – Members data is not available through the QoG website but will be available from SND soon. We will post the link here when available.
Citation
When using the QoG Swedish Government Commissions Database, make sure to cite:
Mikael Holmgren, Carl Dahlström, Elena Leuschner, Hugo Bengtsson, Ann-Ida Gyllenspetz, Carl Görtz, Hampus Hallin, Henrik Hågemark, Rasha Khoury, Raymond Samo, and Inken Schütt. 2026. "The QoG Swedish Government Commissions Database" University of Gothenburg: The Quality of Government Institute.
The data were collected within the framework of the project Setting the Agenda in the Swedish Riksdag: Partisan Politics and Commissions of Inquiry, 1971–2021, funded by the Swedish Research Council (grant no. 2020-01781). The project also covers a database focused on Swedish government bills, which will be published separately by the Quality of Government Institute in 2026.
In the commission dataset, one observation corresponds to a unique commission, with variables capturing characteristics such as the commission’s title and date of enactment. In the members dataset, one observation corresponds to an individual commission member, with variables capturing attributes such as name, role, and occupational title. In the report dataset, one observation corresponds to a unique commission report, with variables capturing attributes such as the report’s title, publication number, and responsible department. In total, the database covers about 5,500 commissions, 85,000 commission members, and 5,500 commission reports.
The datasets are linked through the commissions’ official serial numbers, ensuring that each member and report can be associated with a unique commission. In principle, these serial numbers also allow for linking individual members to specific reports. However, as commissions may produce multiple reports and experience substantial turnover in membership over time, such linkages must be carefully verified using the relevant appointment and publication dates to ensure that a given member was active at the time a report was issued. Other closely related public documents—such as government bills, directives, or consultation responses—can likewise be linked using the commissions’ official serial numbers.