Bringing the Market Back in: The Role of Business in Societal Security in Sweden and Finland
Short description
The deteriorating global security situation has meant that major investments are now being made to rebuild defence capabilities. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in 2022 and are making major investments in societal security. Sweden’s and Finland’s defence concepts involve mobilizing the resources of the whole of society to increase deterrence and defence capabilities. The project analyzes how states promote, regulate, or limit the role of the business sector in societal security. By “bringing the market back in”, we increase our understanding of how countries have tried to reconcile the state’s long-term security interests with the logic of the market. The project generates important new knowledge about the role of the business sector in defence and societal security and the challenges and opportunities that this entails.
Research team
- Bryan Mabee, University of Gothenburg
- Joakim Berndtsson, University of Gothenburg
- Wayne Stephen Coetzee, University West
Background
The aim of the project is to develop and implement a framework that improves our understanding of the roles of defence-related businesses and their relationship to state goals within societal security strategies. A changing geopolitical context – exemplified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the expansion of NATO, and rising defence budgets in Europe – has placed societal security at the forefront of defence policy. Societal security strategies require the active participation and integration of businesses to achieve their objectives. While the market has always played a crucial role in defence provision, the current security environment necessitates a deepening and widening of business incorporation. This development signals a shift in how states fulfil their obligation to protect their citizens and indicates a marketization of national and societal security work, in turn raising questions about the impact of market logics. By comparing the role of the market in the Swedish and Finnish societal security strategies, this project will contribute important knowledge and concrete insights into how new market structures are created and governed within comprehensive defence ecosystems.
A comparative analysis of the role of business in the societal security concepts in Sweden and Finland will demonstrate the problems and possibilities for the provision of societal security in different institutional contexts. A significant set of challenges persists in understanding the relationships created through these developments, such as: the precise role of business actors in the provision of societal security; the development and expansion of security-related markets; and the regulation and governance of societal security networks.
Research aims
Our project addresses this gap by presenting a new conceptualisation of the defence market as a politically constructed and institutionally embedded ecosystem that can be further conceived of as a security network. Empirically, we focus on a structured comparison of societal security strategies in Sweden and Finland, particularly emphasising the role of business. We bring together a team with expertise in the political economy of defence, comparative work on total defence policies, and Swedish defence policy.
Research questions
We will achieve our aim by addressing three core questions:
- What are the main structural and relational features of the defence-industrial ecosystem or security networks in Sweden and Finland?
- How have firms negotiated their role(s) within Sweden’s and Finland’s frameworks for societal security, and what strategies have they employed to integrate into state-led security initiatives?
- How have states facilitated, regulated, or constrained the participation of business actors in societal security, and what implications does this have for security governance and market institutionalisation?
Methods
This qualitative comparative case study of Sweden and Finland employs a three-stage research design, combining document analysis and elite interviews. Using multiple data sources in sequence allows for triangulation and strengthens the reliability of findings The three stages correspond to our three research questions, building cumulatively to elucidate (1) the structure and dynamics of the defence-industrial ecosystem in each country, (2) how businesses have negotiated their roles and strategies within these systems, and (3) how the state has facilitated or constrained business participation and the implications for security governance. Our theoretical framework will closely guide our data collection and analysis, ensuring we gather evidence relevant to the key concepts.